GWOZA — Borno State Governor, Babagana Umara Zulum, has ordered the immediate closure of the Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) camp in Bama, the largest displacement facility outside Maiduguri, the state capital.
The governor also disclosed that the IDP camp in Gwoza would be closed within the next few weeks as part of the state government’s ongoing resettlement programme.
Zulum made the announcement on Thursday in Gwoza after an assessment visit to the Government Secondary School IDP camp.
“We visited Bama yesterday and supervised the screening of IDPs, and by 12 noon, the Bama IDP camp should be closed,” the governor said.
“Today we are here in Gwoza. We have profiled all the occupants and, Insha Allah, within the next two or three weeks, this camp will also be closed.”
According to the governor, the decision was informed by the relative peace that has returned to many communities previously occupied by Boko Haram insurgents.
He noted that over the past seven years, the Borno State Government had successfully resettled displaced persons in several communities across Bama Local Government Area, including Darajamal, Nguro Soye, Goniri, Banki, Abbaram, Ngoshe, Kirawa and Warabe, among others.
Zulum, however, expressed concern over what he described as rising criminal activities within some IDP camps, warning that the facilities were increasingly becoming vulnerable to infiltration by criminal elements.
“In our camps now, there is ongoing criminality. We have identified those involved and they will be resettled according to their localities and community heads. Otherwise, Boko Haram and ISWAP are gradually infiltrating the camps,” he said.
The governor also raised concerns about what he described as the growing trend of residents leaving their homes and returning to camps to access humanitarian assistance provided by non-governmental organisations.
He disclosed that the screening exercise conducted by the government had uncovered a significant number of individuals posing as displaced persons.
According to him, the government cannot continue to sustain the camps under such circumstances.
“Many people who are already living in their homes are returning to the camps to receive relief materials from non-governmental organisations. We will ensure that all returns are sustainable,” he stated.
Zulum revealed that a year ago, the Gwoza camp had fewer than 400 households, but the number had risen to about 3,000 households, with many of the occupants already residing within the town.
He said the state government would continue its policy of closing displacement camps and facilitating the safe and dignified return of displaced persons to their communities.
The governor added that several other IDP camps across the state would be shut before the end of his administration as part of efforts to restore normalcy and support long-term recovery in communities affected by insurgency.
