From HASSAN JIRGI Maiduguri
Borno State governor, Babagana Zulum has announced that all Internally Displaced Persons, IDP, camps within Maiduguri metropolis would be closed after the resettlement of 6,000 families displaced by Boko Haram insurgents.
The families hail from Dikwa and Mafa Local Government Areas.
Zulum announced the plan on Monday at Muna IDP camp, one of the largest with about 11,000 families taking refuge due to the over a decade 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, gangsterism, cases of child abuse and other criminalities.
“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,” the governor said.
He said the state government had resettled about 75 percent of IDPs from Muna camp, while the remaining 25 percent would return to their ancestral localities in the next few days.
According to Governor Zulum, each of the 6,000 families will receive food aid, shelter materials and access to healthcare services as part of the resettlement process.
The governor also announced that while each head of male and female households will receive N100,000, additional N50,000 would be distributed to housewives.
