The Cameroonian Minister of Territorial Administration, Paul Atanga Nji has handed over 5,000 refugees to Governor Babagana Zulum of Borno state for repatriation. According to him, the refugees fled to Cameroon in batches to the Minawao IDPs camp over Boko Haram insurgency since 2014. While handing over the first batch of refugees Wednesday at Amchiide, Cameroon, Nji disclosed: “President Paul Biya has approved the repatriation of refugees with relief packages of food items, mattresses, blankets and other non-food items to 5,000 returning household refugees to Nigeria.” He said the distribution of materials was to support refugees returning to the Banki border community in Borno state. While commending Zulum for refugees’ repatriation, he said: “You’ve already completed the houses to accommodate your people, who were living in this camp for over six year, before their repatriation to Nigeria.”
Meanwhile, the state government has completed the construction of about 6,000 urban and low-cost houses at Banki, Gwoza, Konduga, Benisheikh to accommodate returning IDPs and refugees. More refugees are to be repatriated this year from Cameroon, Chad and Niger, as preparations had been concluded with the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) and the State Government officials last month in N’djamena, Chad. Zulum thanked President Biya and Cameroonian officials for the support in repatriating refugees, after spending six years in the Minawao camp.His words: “I wish to sincerely convey our deepest appreciation to the government of Cameroon under the distinguished leadership of President Paul Biya. “We remain eternally grateful.”
The refugees’ repatriation was to implement the outcome of a tripartite commission meeting held in Marwa, Cameroon, on February 10, 2021. The repatriation exercise was carried out by officials from Cameroon, the UNHCR and a Nigerian delegation that include Zulum and top officials from the federal ministries of Foreign Affairs, Humanitarian Affairs, the National Commission for Refugees, Migrants and IDPs as well as Governor’s Special Adviser on Monitoring and Evaluation. Zulum also flagged off the distribution of food and non-food items in Banki to the refugee returnees. The male heads of households were each given N30, 000; while were each provided with N10, 000 and a wrapper of clothes. He sympathized with the refugees on how they lived as refugees for six years in camp. He said the state government is committed to their security, welfare by creating an enabling environment for them to pick up their lives.
