WHEN THE POOR OPPRESS THE POOR: RELIEF PROJECT TO IDPs Maiduguri, Borno state | June 2026

RELIEF PROJECT TO IDPs
Maiduguri, Borno state
June 2026

WHEN THE POOR OPPRESS THE POOR

This report is an uncomfortable reminder that cruelty does not discriminate. We focus on six children whose father was murdered by Boko Haram. Forced into the same situation as thousands of other refugees, the bereaved family fled to Maiduguri with their mother. But the relief was not to last. Perhaps through the weight of grief or the emotional turmoil of caring for seven with nothing to her name, the mother soon fell ill. After escaping religious violence and bravely fighting a long war with sickness, the mother also died. Now, six children were displaced, bereaved of both their parents, and alone in a camp of refugees. Regular readers will know the Nigerian Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) camps have an unspoken truth: what might initially appear to be a temporary stay slowly turns into a life sentence. Still, more trouble lay on the horizon for the mourning orphans.

One day, when a Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO) came to count the people in their section of the camp, an official told one of the children to inflate the numbers. The child, small and honest, felt the wrongness of that request and refused. This little act of righteousness was to cost them dearly.

The visitors arrived. She told the truth. For her honesty and integrity, she was punished — but the furious official decided to make her and all five siblings’ scapegoats. The official evicted every single one of them from the camp. They were left to sleep in an unfinished building with no doors, no utilities, and no privacy. In the current state of insecurity, this was a death sentence waiting for its time. The oldest among them, a 21‑year‑old, was still in school, carrying the triple burden of fear, grief and responsibility for her distressed family.

Like you, our hearts broke yet again when we heard of their story and confirmed it was true. We had to act and act fast before tragedy could strike for a fourth time. Lay Faithful Trust Foundation provided funds for a modest two-bedroom apartment so the children would have a roof that closed at night. We provided beds, food, and basic furnishings so they could sleep without fear and cook a meal together. By God’s grace, a displaced widow from their village — herself in need — agreed to share the home and to watch over the children, offering the steady presence of someone who understood their loss.

We sought legal help to address the camp official’s misconduct and engaged a human rights lawyer to follow up. After careful consideration, and out of concern for the children’s safety, those pursuing the case appealed that it be not pressed further at this time. The decision was painful but made with the children’s protection as the priority.

Today, the children are enrolled in school with ongoing support from Lay Faithful Trust Foundation; the eldest continues her studies at university. There is little we can do about the ordeal the orphans have been through, but they now have a place to sleep, food to eat, and a small circle of people who refuse to let them disappear into the margins.

None of this would have been possible without the generosity of kind-hearted donors. Your gifts turn crisis into shelter, loneliness into company, and despair into a fragile, growing hope. Thank you for standing with these children. Your kindness is a light in a dark season.

May God bless and replenish every hand that reaches out to help those who have been persecuted and displaced.

Your brother in Christ,
Bosun
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
www.layfaithful.org

Thank you for supporting IDPs.
God bless you.

Kindly join us to reach more people.

PLEASE SHARE