The Catholic Church in Nigeria has urged well-meaning individuals and corporate bodies to come to the aid of the Internally Displaced Persons, IDPs, living in various camps across the country, especially those in troubled Borno State.

Archbishop Gabriel Abegunrin of the Catholic Diocese of Ibadan made this call when he led a delegation of Catholic faithful to present relief materials to the IDPs at the centre of the Christian Association of Nigeria, CAN.

The Archbishop said he was going back with a message to other provinces and dioceses that there is an urgent need to contribute to the upkeep of the displaced persons.

He expressed disappointment at the sorry state of the IDP camps, saying the situation was being grossly under-reported and was not well understood by many, adding that this was responsible for the little contribution from across the globe.

“We have been learning of the crisis on television and radio stations but coming here we have come to the reality and have seen things for ourselves,” the Bishop said.

“As a church, we have come with these items as a way of sympathizing and supporting our brothers and sisters psychologically traumatized by the insurgency,” he added.

In the Archbishop’s entourage were other top Catholic clergymen, including Bishop Emmanuel Badejo of the Diocese of Oyo, Rev. Fr. Michael Okocha, Vicar General of Osogbo Diocese and Rev. Fr. Martin De Cross.

Items presented to the IDPs included bags of corn, beans and rice.

The Catholic Bishop of Maiduguri, Most Rev. Oliver Doeme described the visit as a sign of victory for the church and a demonstration that normalcy is gradually returning to Borno state.

Also, the chairman of CAN in The state, Mohammed Naga, thanked the delegation for the gesture, adding that this was not the first time the Catholic Church would visit Maiduguri to show their support and love to the people.