Zulum resettles 6,000 IDP families displaced from Dikwa, Mafa, to close Muna camp

Governor Babagana Zulum of Borno says he has resettled 6,000 families displaced by insurgency in Dikwa and Mafa Local Government Areas.

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Mr Zulum disclosed this on Monday during a visit to the Muna Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) camp in Maiduguri, one of the largest in the state, with over 11,000 families, which he announced plans to close down within the next few weeks.

The governor said the resettlement exercise was due to increased illicit activities within the camp.

Mr Zulum cited increasing incidents of prostitution, gangsterism, child abuse and other crimes within the camp, saying such conditions undermined efforts at restoring normalcy.

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“Boko Haram can never be eradicated without resettlement. People have to go back to their homes and earn their livelihood,” he said.

The governor said each of the 6,000 families would receive food items, shelter materials, and access to healthcare services.

“Additionally, each male and female head of households would receive N100, 000, while housewives would be given N50, 000,” he said.

Mr Zulum said his administration had earlier committed to closing all formal IDP camps in Maiduguri, a target that had largely been met with the closure of about 12 camps.

“About 75 per cent of the IDPs here at Muna have been resettled. The remaining 25 per cent will return to their ancestral homes in the coming days,” he said.

Shut down

Mr Zulum said that the decision to shut down the Muna camp was in line with his administration’s ongoing efforts to close all formal IDP camps within Maiduguri and its environs.

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The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Muna, established at the height of the humanitarian crisis in the state, currently hosts about 10,000 displaced persons.

The governor, however, noted that about 75 per cent of its residents had already been resettled.

He assured the remaining inhabitants that the government would support their efforts to improve their means of livelihood as they prepared to return to their communities.

He said the camp’s closure would mark another significant step in the state’s transition from emergency humanitarian response to long-term recovery and resettlement.

NAN also reports that during his first term, Zulum had pledged to close all IDP camps in the state capital, and has closed more than 12 already. (NAN)