Borno State Governor Babagana Zulum, on Monday, announced plans to shut down the state’s largest Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) camp, which houses over 11,000 families, in the coming weeks.
During a visit to the Muna IDP camp, Zulum cited a surge in “prostitution, gangsterism, and child abuse”, among other crimes, as key reasons for the planned closure.
He noted that while 6,000 families displaced by insurgency in Dikwa and Mafa Local Government Areas had already been resettled, the deteriorating conditions at Muna were undermining the government’s efforts to restore normalcy.
He said, “Boko Haram can never be eradicated without resettlement; people have to go back to their homes and earn their livelihood.
“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.
“Additionally, each male and female head of household would receive N100,000, while housewives would be given N50,000.”
He added that each of the 6,000 families would also receive food supplies, shelter materials, and access to healthcare services.
Zulum reiterated his administration’s commitment to closing all formal IDP camps in Maiduguri, revealing that 12 camps had already been shut down.
This, he explained, is part of the state’s transition from emergency humanitarian response to long-term recovery and resettlement.
The Joint Data Centre on Forced Displacement, a World Bank partner, noted that Maiduguri, being the closest urban centre to most rural areas in northeast Nigeria, has received large numbers of IDPs since 2009.
According to the report, over two million people have been internally displaced in Nigeria due to Boko Haram insurgency and counter-insurgency operations by Nigerian security forces.