Borno State Governor Babagana Zulum has ordered the immediate closure of the Bama Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) camp, saying the Gwoza camp will also be shut down in the coming weeks.
The governor made the announcement on Thursday after inspecting the Government Secondary School IDP camp in Gwoza.
According to Zulum, improved security in several communities previously affected by insurgency has made it possible for displaced residents to return to their hometowns.
“We visited Bama yesterday and supervised the screening of IDPs, and by 12 noon, the Bama IDP camp should be closed. In the next two or three weeks, the Gwoza camp will also be closed,” he said.
The governor, however, expressed concern over growing criminal activities in some IDP camps, alleging that Boko Haram and ISWAP members were gradually infiltrating the facilities.
He also claimed that some people who had already returned to their communities were moving back into the camps to receive relief materials from humanitarian organisations.
Zulum said the government had identified several fake IDPs during the screening exercise, adding that the state could no longer sustain the camps under such conditions.
He assured that displaced persons would be resettled in their respective communities while promising to ensure that the return process remains sustainable.
The governor also disclosed that more IDP camps across Borno State would be closed before the end of his administration.
Source: Borno State Government
