- Borno Govt Announces Closure Of Bama IDP Camp
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Only three communities remain to be resettled before closure.
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Government continues efforts to return displaced families home.
Borno State Governor, Babagana Zulum, has announced that the Bama Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) camp, the largest displacement camp in the state outside Maiduguri, will be closed within the next month.
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EKO HOT BLOG reports that the governor made the disclosure on Thursday during an assessment visit to the Government Science Secondary School in Bama, where the camp is currently located.
Zulum said the planned closure forms part of his administration’s efforts to end prolonged displacement in Bama Local Government Area and facilitate the return of affected residents to their ancestral communities.
During the visit, the governor personally supervised the screening of displaced persons, a process that lasted more than three hours.
According to the state government, the exercise was designed to ensure that only genuine beneficiaries are captured in the ongoing resettlement programme.
Zulum explained that the screening became necessary to accurately identify the remaining households in the camp ahead of the final phase of the resettlement exercise.
“We are here to examine the remaining displaced people that are living in the IDP camp with a view to ensuring the closure of Bama IDP camp,” the governor said.
He disclosed that the government had already completed the screening of male heads of households from the affected communities and was working towards concluding the resettlement process.
According to him, only three communities remain to be resettled before the camp can be officially shut down.
“We have three communities that are left to be resettled, namely, communities from Mayanti, Goniri, and Bula Kuriye. By the next one month, the Bama IDP camp, which is the largest camp in the state outside the state capital, will be closed,” Zulum added.
Bama Local Government Area was among the communities worst affected by the Boko Haram insurgency, which forced thousands of residents to flee their homes and disrupted economic and social activities across the region.
For years, many displaced families have remained in camps after escaping attacks by insurgents.
The governor said the ongoing exercise is aimed at ensuring the safe, voluntary and dignified return of displaced persons to their communities after years of displacement.
Over the past seven years, the Borno State Government has successfully resettled several communities in Bama, including Darajamal, Nguro Soye, Banki and Abbaram.
Zulum reiterated his administration’s commitment to rebuilding communities devastated by insurgency and helping residents rebuild their lives.
He noted that the closure of the Bama IDP camp would represent another significant milestone in the state’s recovery, rehabilitation and resettlement programme.
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