Olawepo-Hashim raises the alarm over 3.68m IDPs in Nigeria

File photo: Accord Party presidential candidate, Gbenga Olawepo-Hashim

The presidential candidate of the Accord Party, Gbenga Olawepo-Hashim, has raised the alarm over the plight of 3.68 million internally displaced persons in Nigeria, calling for increased international intervention to address insecurity, religious persecution and ethnic discrimination.

Olawepo-Hashim also called for the release of a Hausa cultural activist, Maisango, whom he alleged was being detained unlawfully.

According to a statement issued by his media office on Sunday, Olawepo-Hashim made the demands during an engagement with the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom on Friday.

He also drew the commission’s attention to reported attacks and the burning of 11 villages in Shanga Local Government Area of Kebbi State, urging the international community not to ignore the plight of affected communities.

Olawepo-Hashim acknowledged that Christians in Northern Nigeria faced persecution but argued that religious intolerance in the country extended beyond the Christian-Muslim divide.

He identified Shia Muslims, minority Islamic sects and some Hausa Muslim communities as groups experiencing persecution, exclusion and discrimination.

He said, “Nigeria’s religious freedom crisis goes beyond the conventional Christian-Muslim divide,” arguing that ethnic identity and cultural affiliation also influenced religious and social acceptance in some communities.

Citing figures published by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, the Accord Party chieftain put Nigeria’s internally displaced population at approximately 3.68 million as of October 2026.

He argued that the humanitarian crisis cut across religious and ethnic boundaries, adding that displaced Hausa communities deserved greater international attention.

On the situation in Kebbi State, Olawepo-Hashim mentioned Kalkami, Tungar Bori and Kawara communities in Shanga LGA, where suspected bandits reportedly killed residents, burnt buildings and forced inhabitants to flee during attacks in April 2026.

He described reports of 11 villages being burnt as alarming, alleging that some armed groups operating in the area were more interested in killing residents, destroying settlements and taking control of territories than pursuing religious conversion.