Ezekiel Awojide, Abuja
Borno State Governor Babagana Zulum has announced the resettlement of 6,000 families displaced by Boko Haram insurgents.
The families were said to have come mostly from Dikwa and Mafa local government areas.
Zulum announced this on Monday at Muna IDP camp, one of the largest, with about 11,000 families taking refuge due to the over-a-decade-old crisis in Borno.
Addressing journalists, Zulum reiterated that the resettlement became imperative due to the high level of illicit activities in the camp.
He said, “Boko Haram can never be eradicated without resettlement taking place.
“People have to go back to their homes and earn their livelihood. We have observed that in the IDP camp, there is increasing prostitution, increasing gangsterism, cases of child abuse, and other criminalities.”
He added, “If you could remember, about four years ago, we announced that all formal IDP camps within Maiduguri metropolis would be closed. So far, so good, we have closed all down, about 12 of them.
“We have two informal camps remaining. We have resettled about 75% of the IDPs here (Muna camp), and the remaining 25% will return to their ancestral localities in the next few days.”
According to Governor Zulum, each of the 6,000 families will receive food aid, shelter materials, and access to healthcare services as part of the resettlement process.
The governor also announced that while each head of both male and female households receives N100,000, an additional N50,000 will be distributed to the housewives.
Meanwhile, governor Zulum also announced a plan to upgrade the vocational and skill acquisition centre at Maiduguri Maximum Security Correctional Facility to enhance rehabilitation and reduce the tendency for inmates to relapse into criminal activities.
The governor, who visited the facility on Monday morning, emphasised that the essence of prison sentences is to transform lives, not just to confine individuals.
He said, “I am here to examine the living conditions of the inmates here, especially in the areas of technical and vocational skills.
“The essence of keeping them at the correctional facility is largely to reform them, but this cannot be feasible without facilities on the ground.
“We can also examine cases of some inmates, and within the ambit of the law, we will look to the possibility of releasing those convicted of minor offences.”
Zulum was accompanied by a member of the House of Representatives, Bukar Talba; acting Chief of Staff, Dr Babagana Mallumbe; Special Adviser on Religious Affairs, Shiekh Modu Mustapha, and the Permanent Secretary of the Government House, Mustapha Busuguma.
