BORNO: Zulum in Cameroon to facilitate repatriation of 9,800 Nigerians who fled Boko Haram attacks

NIGERIA’s representatives comprising Governor Zulum and officials of Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development,  have arrived Marwa in Cameroon for the repatriation of 9,800 Nigerian refugees.

The 9,800 are those in the first phase of the repatriation from Cameroon out of 46,000 Nigerians taking refuge in Minawao camp.

The Special Adviser on Public Relations and Strategy to Governor Babagana Zulum of Borno, Malam Isa Gusau, made this known in a statement in Maiduguri on Wednesday.

He said the 9,800 Nigerians constitute the first batch of citizens who have shown willingness to be evacuated to resettlement houses built by Borno Government in Bama and Banki towns.

He disclosed that Zulum arrived Cameroon on Tuesday evening and on Wednesday led the Nigerian delegation to a meeting on the tripartite (repatriation) agreement signed between Nigeria, Cameroon and the United Nations High Commission for Refugees, which is to hold in Marwa in far north Cameroon, with Governor of Cameroon’s far north, Mijinyawa Bakare hosting the meeting.

Gusau said, “Zulum is in Cameroon alongside the Perm Sec Fed Min of Humanitarian Affairs, Malam Bashir Nura Alkali and the ministry’s humanitarian director, Ali Grema, some officials from the National Commission for Refugees, Migrants and IDPs, the governor’s adviser on External and Liaison Services, Ambassador Adamu Abbas who is also a member of the Technical Working Group (TWG) established for the implementation of the tripartite repatriation agreement; a member of House of Representatives representing Bama, Ngala, Kala-Balge federal constituency of Borno State, Zainab Gimba, chairperson of Borno State Emergency Management Agency, commissioner for local government and emirate affairs, Sugun Mai Mele, special adviser on projects monitoring and evaluation, Engr Abba Wakilbe and the governor’s principal secretary, Bar Mustapha Busuguma.”

He added, “Today’s (Wednesday) meeting is in line with provisions of the tripartite agreement which has spelt out international best practices on humanitarian issues involving movements of persons between two or more countries as well as roles and limitations of all parties, and the protection of the rights of refugees who can only be repatriated at their own will.”

Reports have it that most of the refugees at the Minawao camp are mostly from Borno and have made regular appeals to Governor Zulum to repatriate them to their home state where they can live decently.

Meanwhile in September  2019 during one of his trips to the camp, Zulum had promised the refugees that he would facilitate their safe return to Nigeria, particularly their Borno home state.

Therefore, the move on Tuesday was in fulfilment of the promise he made to the refugees.