Zulum Moves To Shut Bama IDP Camp

The Governor of Borno State, Babagana Zulum, has said the Bama Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) camp, the largest IDP camp in the state outside Maiduguri, will be closed within the next month.

Zulum disclosed this on Thursday after an assessment visit to the Government Science Secondary School, Bama, where the IDP camp is located.

The governor said the planned closure was part of his administration’s efforts to end prolonged displacement in Bama Local Government Area and return affected families to their ancestral communities.

Naija News understands that during the visit, Zulum personally supervised the screening of displaced persons for more than three hours.

The exercise, according to the state government, was aimed at ensuring that only genuine households were captured in the ongoing resettlement programme.

The governor said the screening had become necessary to properly identify the remaining displaced families in the camp before the final phase of their return.

“We are here to examine the remaining displaced people that are living in the IDP camp with a view to ensuring the closure of Bama IDP camp,” Zulum stated.

Zulum said the government had already completed the screening of male heads of households from the affected communities.

He added that efforts were ongoing to conclude the resettlement process and permanently shut down the facility.

According to him, only three communities are left to be resettled before the camp is closed.

“We have three communities that are left to be resettled, namely, communities from Mayanti, Goniri, and Bula Kuriye. By the next one month, the Bama IDP camp, which is the largest camp in the state outside the state capital, will be closed,” he added.

Bama Local Government Area was one of the areas badly affected by the Boko Haram insurgency, which displaced thousands of residents and disrupted economic and social activities across communities.

For years, many displaced persons from the area have lived in camps after fleeing attacks on their homes and communities.

The governor said the latest exercise was part of ongoing efforts to ensure the safe and dignified return of displaced families after years of disruption caused by insurgency.

Over the past seven years, the Borno State Government has resettled several communities in Bama Local Government Area.

Some of the communities already resettled include Darajamal, Nguro Soye, Goniri, Banki and Abbaram.

Zulum said his administration remained committed to rebuilding communities affected by insurgency and helping displaced residents return to normal life.

He added that the closure of the Bama IDP camp would mark another major step in the government’s resettlement and recovery programme.