Borno gov’t resettles 699,000 IDPs 

The Borno State government has resettled six out of 13 official Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) camps within the Maiduguri metropolis. It also reiterated the determination to close all camps within the city on or before 31 December 2021. Army raids Enugu community in search of IPOB members Desmond Tutu influenced Nigeria’s debt cancellation – Obasanjo […]

The Borno State government has resettled six out of 13 official Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) camps within the Maiduguri metropolis.

It also reiterated the determination to close all camps within the city on or before 31 December 2021.

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The Director-General of the Borno State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA), Hajiya Yabawa Kolo, while addressing newsmen at the end of the year appraisal held in Maiduguri on Sunday, that 115, 000 households making a total of 699,000 IDPs have been resettled.

She said; “already NYSC, MOGOCOLIS, Dalori, Bakassi, Muna and Farm centre cps have been closed and right now we are profiling the IDPs from teachers village and stadium camps with a view to closing them before 31st December 2921.”

The DG SEMA said the relocation of the IDPs is voluntary and in line with the Kampala Convention on voluntary, safe and dignified resettlement of IDPs.

She emphasized that government is determined to close all official camps within Maiduguri due to social vices going on in the camps and other factors.

“In the year under review, we recorded over 600 cases of Sexual and Gender-Based Violence ( SGBV) in the camp, involving mostly teenage girls.

“So far we have resettled 115, 000 households back to their communities in the year under review and each head of households were given N100,000, while their wives were given N50,000 each.

“In addition to this, the agency will be supporting them for at least one year for them as part of stabilization and peacebuilding process and livelihood support,” Hajiya Kolo said.

Hajiya Kolo explained that; “our plans for 2022 is to strengthen the capacity of the SEMA and due to the ongoing returning of the IDPs, Governor Babagana Zulum has increased our budget from N500 million to over N1 billion.

“In 2022 to cater for the need of the returning IDPs, we have a robust plan of sustainable livelihood support to the resettled them,” she added.