The Governor of Borno State, Babagana Zulum, has announced the closure of the Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) camp at the Government Senior Science Secondary School, Monguno.
News About Nigeria gathered that Zulum was on an inspection visit to the camp to assess the extent of destruction resulting from the Boko Haram attack and the prolonged use by internally displaced persons when he made the announcement.
The Governor’s announcement comes amidst reported threats by terrorists to attack Monguno in northern Borno.
Additionally, the closure of the Monguno camp brings the total to 13 IDP camps that the government has closed since 2018.
The Monguno IDP camp, located about 120 km from Maiduguri, the state capital, housed over 100,000 IDPs drawn from parts of Kukawa, Nganzai, Marte, and Guzamala LGAs displaced by the Boko Haram insurgents.
The Governor, expressing satisfaction with the level of security and peace restored to some communities, explained that the closure of the IDP camp was in preparation for the resumption of academic activities in the school.
According to Zulum, the IDPs would be relocated to occupy the 1,000 resettlement houses built in the town for citizens affected by the over one-decade-old Boko Haram insurgency.
He further explained that the 1,000 houses in Monguno are part of the housing intervention, constituting over 10,000 resettlement houses constructed by his administration since 2019.
The governor also clarified that IDPs from communities and villages that have attained relative peace, particularly those from Kekeno, Mile 90, and Yoyo, among others, would be returned. He noted that everyone ready to return to their houses would be provided with a resettlement package to enable them to pick up their lives.
