Nigerian refugees return from Chad after governor’s visit

Thousands of Nigerians who fled to the Republic of Chad about a decade ago because of the Boko Haram insurgency have returned to Maiduguri, the capital city of Borno State.

The state government has opened a temporary camp for them in Maiduguri, where they are being moved back to their ancestral communities in batches.

Two weeks ago, Borno State Governor Babagana Zulum led a high-profile Nigerian delegation to initiate the repatriation of the refugees who fled the Boko Haram insurgency to Baga Sola, Chad Republic.

The delegation comprised the Minister of State for Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction, Yusuf Sununu, and the Federal Commissioner/CEO of the National Commission for Refugees, Migrants, and Internally Displaced Persons, Aliyu Ahmed.

According to the delegation, 1,768 families, comprising 7,790 people, would be returned to Nigeria in the exercise.

Last week, the displaced persons, mostly indigenes of Borno, started arriving at a temporary shelter at Gubio IDP Camp.

This reporter visited the camp on Tuesday afternoon and saw some trailers that brought the latest arrivals. Officials said more were being awaited.

The displaced persons said they were happy to be back home. They told this reporter that they missed home, saying the feeling was accentuated by the stigmatisation they suffered as refugees in Chad.

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The returnees said the repatriation committee cared for them throughout their journey from Baga Sola and gave each family N20,000 (CFA 2000).

“We thank the government for bringing us back to our homeland. Home is home, and I really like it here,” Mustapha Bamai, a 35-year-old man, said.

“There was nothing like Boko Haram or any threat along the road. The government officials treated us well. We were given enough food at each place we stopped, apart from the money given to us before we started the journey,” he added.

Bulama Kolo, another repatriated displaced person, corroborated Mr Bamai’s account.

The returnees were grouped into zones A and B, with additional sub-groupings under each zone. Mr Kolo was the leader of Group 2 of Zone B. “We stopped in three places—Kusri, Banki, and Bama—and we received enough food at each place,” he said.

Basic needs in Gubio camp

The police and the Civilian Joint Task Force kept security tight, denying visitors entrance into the camp. This reporter observed that the camp was an uncompleted government quarters; some buildings had no windows or doors.

Some of the earlier arrivals have moved to their ancestral homes.

Although they said food was not a problem in the camp, some refugees said they lacked toiletries, sleeping mats, blankets, and other basic needs. Most refugees placed trampolines or leather on the floor to sleep on, and many were without mosquito nets.

These problems were worse among those who arrived earlier, whose belongings had been moved to their ancestral homes while they remained in the camp.

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“I have eight children; we are 10 in number, but for the past four days, I haven’t changed my clothes because all our belongings were taken to Baga,” 58-year-old Malam Isa Dogana said. “We are sleeping on a bare floor without mats and other necessary items; there is no convenience for our family,” “We need the government to come to our aid.”

Others complained that their visitors were not allowed into the camp. “We spent many years without seeing our people, but when our relatives here in Maiduguri come to visit us, the security at the gate would not let them in,” Mr Kolo said.

Because the camp is far from Maiduguri’s central areas, goods prices were also high.

“Goods are very expensive here. If you see a N100 worth of sugar, you will be surprised. An ordinary Airtel SIM card is also sold at N1,500 here,” Mr Kolo added.

Many humanitarian organisations, including Rescue International, attended to the returnees at the camp.

This reporter could not speak to the officials in the camp because visitors were not allowed into the camp.