From Uthman Abubakar, in Maiduguri
The Borno State government is fast-tracking the closure of the remaining IDP camps across the state, citing the infiltration of Boko Haram/ISWAP terrorists into the camps, prolonging terrorism and insurgency.
Governor Babagana Zulum, at Gwoza on Thursday, cited other reasons for the immediate closure of the cams as the rise in criminality and social vices as well as the growing trend of people other than IDPs abandoning their homes to settle in the camps to collect relief items from nongovernmental organizations.
Zulum was at Bama, Wednesday, to order the immediate closure of the IDP camp their, hinting that the Gwoza IDP would follow suit in the next three weeks. The Bama camp is the largest outside Maiduguri. It was closed at noon, Thursday.
“In our camps now, there is an ongoing criminality; we have identified all of them and they’ll be resettled based on their localities and to their community heads. Otherwise, Boko Haram/ISWAP are gradually infiltrating the camps,” he complained.
Raising the alarm over the disturbing trend of people leaving their homes to resettle in camps to collect relief items from non-governmental organisations, the governor that the state government cannot sustain the maintenance of camps under such circumstances.
“We visited Bama yesterday and supervised the screening of IDPs, and by 12 noon, Bama IDP camp should be closed,” Zulum stated. “Today we are here in Gwoza, we have profiled all of them, and Insha Allah, in the next two or three weeks this camp will also be closed.”
According to Governor Zulum, the return has been made possible by the relative peace now prevailing in most communities hitherto occupied by Boko Haram insurgents.
In the past seven years, Borno State Government has resettled several communities in Bama Local Government Area, including Darajamal, Nguro Soye, Goniri, Banki, Abbaram, Ngoshe, Kirawa, Warabe and other locations across the state. ENDS
