Borno govt closes camps in Maiduguri as over 62,000 IDPs return home

More than 62,000 Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in Borno State have been returned to their ancestral home.

The Chairperson of Borno State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA), Hajiya yabawa, who stated this on Thursday in an interview with newsmen during the official closure of Dalori ii IDP camp in Maiduguri.

According to her, the decision to close all the camps in Maiduguri was informed by the recent improvement in the security situation in the state.

Yabawa said that today we are witnessing the returning of yet another 11 thousand IDPs back to their ancestral homes.

“The state government has provided adequate security in all the nine communities in all local government areas and it has given each household a sustainable livelihood that will enable them to continue staying in their ancestral homes, therefore, there is no need for the IDPs to comes back to camps again.

“We have given them food and non-food items and also in the area of financial support in order for them to restore their lives, so far in the history of our camp closure this is the largest support”.

“And also the microfinance bank will open business opportunities and creating windows for them to access loan so that they adequately use is given them to sustain themselves”.

She commended the Victims Support Fund (VSF) and other Humanitarian agencies for their support and efforts in the returning of IDP’s back ancestral homes.

Earlier, the Executive Director of VSF, Prof. Nana Tanko, said each household of the returning IDPs got 100,000 Naira, a bag of rice, grated maize, cooking oil, blanket and kitchens utensils among other items.

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