Borno State Governor, Babagana Umara Zulum, has announced the resettlement of 6,000 families displaced by Boko Haram insurgents who mostly hail from Dikwa and Mafa local government areas of the state.
Zulum announced the plan on Monday at Muna IDP camp, one of the largest in the state, with about 11,000 families taking refuge due to the over-decade-old crisis in Borno.
Addressing journalists, Zulum reiterated that the resettlement became imperative due to the high level of illicit activities in the camp.
“Boko Haram can never be eradicated without resettlement taking place. People have to go back to their homes and earn their livelihood. We have observed that in the IDP camp, there is increasing prostitution, increasing gangsterism, cases of child abuse and other criminalities,” Zulum said.
He added, “If you could remember, about four years ago, we announced that all formal IDP camps within Maiduguri metropolis would be closed. So far, so good, we have closed all down, about 12 of them. We have two informal camps remaining. We have resettled about 75% of the IDPs here (Muna camp), and the remaining 25% will return to their ancestral localities in the next few days.”
According to Zulum, each of the 6,000 families will receive food aid, shelter materials, and access to healthcare services as part of the resettlement process. He also announced that while each head of both male and female households receives N100,000, an additional N50,000 will be distributed to the housewives.
Zulum said the closure of formal IDP camps within the metropolis was a long-standing policy of his administration, noting that the resettlement of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) is critical to ending insurgency in the state.
The governor explained that Muna camp, originally an informal settlement, has seen rapid population growth, but efforts to resettle its residents are yielding results. He stressed the connection between insecurity and displacement, warning that camps left unaddressed risk becoming hubs for social problems.
Read Also: Court admits fresh evidence in N2.7bn fraud case against Sirika, ex-Aviation Minister
Zulum emphasised the importance of tackling the “socio-political dimension” of the crisis by addressing poverty. “The only way that we can ensure we address the challenges of insecurity is by ensuring that the socio-political dimension of the crises is being addressed, which is reducing poverty,” he added.
When asked about the safety of the areas where IDPs are being relocated, the governor responded: “They are very safe. They have military formation there, and they are ready to go.”
Zulum also acknowledged the financial burden on the state government while expressing gratitude for federal assistance. “It’s not easy, but let me acknowledge the support that we are receiving from the federal government. I want to commend the federal government, and I want to commend President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for the support that we have been seeing so far from him. That has complemented the capacity of the state government,” he said.
The closure of Muna camp is part of a broader strategy by the state government to phase out all IDP camps in Maiduguri and enable displaced persons to rebuild their lives in secure, permanent communities.
