By Abdullahi Alhassan, Kaduna Borno State Governor, Babagana Umara Zulum, has ordered the immediate closure of the Internally Di...
By Abdullahi Alhassan, Kaduna
Borno State Governor, Babagana Umara Zulum, has ordered the immediate closure of the Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) camp in Bama, the largest displacement camp outside Maiduguri, citing improved security and growing concerns over criminal activities within the camps.
The Governor announced the decision on Thursday during an assessment visit to the Government Secondary School IDP Camp in Gwoza, where he also revealed that the Gwoza camp would be shut down within the next two to three weeks.
"We visited Bama yesterday and supervised the screening of IDPs, and by 12 noon, Bama IDP camp should be closed," Zulum said. "Today we are here in Gwoza. We have profiled all the occupants, and Insha Allah, in the next two or three weeks, this camp will also be closed."
Governor Zulum attributed the closure of the camps to the restoration of relative peace in many communities previously occupied by Boko Haram insurgents, which has enabled thousands of displaced residents to return home.
Over the past seven years, the Borno State Government has resettled displaced persons in several communities across Bama Local Government Area, including Darajamal, Nguro Soye, Goniri, Banki, Abbaram, Ngoshe, Kirawa, Warabe, and other parts of the state.
The Governor, however, expressed concern over what he described as increasing criminal activities within some IDP camps, warning that the facilities were becoming vulnerable to infiltration by Boko Haram and ISWAP elements.
"In our camps now, there is ongoing criminality. We have identified those involved, and they will be resettled according to their localities and community heads. Otherwise, Boko Haram and ISWAP are gradually infiltrating the camps," he said.
Zulum also raised concerns over the increasing number of people allegedly abandoning their homes to return to IDP camps to access humanitarian assistance from non-governmental organisations.
According to him, the screening exercise uncovered a significant number of fake IDPs, a development he said was placing unnecessary pressure on government resources.
"Many of those who are living in their homes are returning to the camps to receive handouts from non-governmental organisations. We will ensure that the returns are sustainable. About a year ago, this camp had fewer than 400 households. It is surprising that about 3,000 households are now in the camp, and most of them are residents living within the town," the Governor stated.
Governor Zulum added that several other IDP camps across Borno State would be closed before the end of his administration as part of efforts to complete the resettlement of displaced persons and restore normalcy in affected communities.
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