Borno State governor, Professor Babagana Umara Zulum, has overseen the resettlement of 6,000 families displaced by Boko Haram insurgency, marking another step in his administration’s efforts to close formal Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) camps across Maiduguri.
The announcement came during Zulum’s visit on Monday to the Muna IDP camp, one of the largest in the state, currently housing over 11,000 families.
Addressing journalists, the governor cited escalating criminal activities within the camp including prostitution, gang violence, and child abuse as a major driver for the resettlement initiative.
“Boko Haram can never be eradicated without resettlement taking place,” Zulum stated. “People have to return to their homes and earn their livelihoods.”
Zulum noted that 75 percent of the camp’s population had already been relocated, with the remaining 25 percent scheduled to return to their ancestral homes in the coming days. Each resettled family will receive food aid, building materials, and healthcare support.
Additionally, household heads will be given N100,000, while housewives will receive an extra N50,000 to support their reintegration.
The resettlement is part of a broader strategy to dismantle all formal IDP camps in the capital, with 12 already closed since the policy began.
In a related development, the governor also visited the Maiduguri Maximum Security Correctional Facility, where he announced plans to upgrade its vocational and skills training programs. The move is intended to strengthen inmate rehabilitation and reduce repeat offenses.
“The purpose of incarceration is not merely to punish, but to reform,” Zulum said. “Without proper facilities, rehabilitation is impossible.”
He added that the government would review cases involving minor offences to consider possible releases within the limits of the law.
The dual initiatives, as gathered by WorlClass247News, reflect Borno State’s continued efforts to address the humanitarian and security fallout from more than a decade of insurgency.