Over 120,000 Borno refugees stranded in Niger Republic – Zulum

 Prof. Babagana Zulum, the governor of Borno State, stated on Wednesday that the Federal Government's closure of the Nigeria-Niger Republic border had caused a delay in the efforts to repatriate more than 120,000 Borno residents who had been driven from their communities by Boko Haram and sought safety in Niger Republic.

When the governor presented the 2024 budget to the state House of Assembly, he disclosed the information.

For the resettlement of residents displaced by Boko Haram, Zulum claimed to have secured grants of €10 million and €500,000 from Germany and Switzerland. However, he noted that efforts to repatriate those who fled to the Niger Republic had been put on hold since the border was closed following the military takeover of power in that country. In Niger, there are more than 120,000 Nigerian refugees.

“The coup de tat in the Niger Republic has impeded our plan to repatriate Abadam and Guzamala people (refugees) home from that country,” he told the lawmakers.
“I will continue to pursue more grants for the programme,” he said.

The Borno governor, however, appealed to the people of the state to forgive and embrace repentant Boko Haram insurgents to enable them to reintegrate into society. According to Zulum, it is preferable to welcome the terrorists who have expressed remorse than to allow them to rejoin the group and carry on causing chaos. According to The PUNCH, concerns over potential retaliation by those whose relatives they killed or injured during the insurgency have raged since the start of the Federal Government's Operation Safe Corridor and the Borno State Government's program of reintegrating the ex-combatants in their home communities.

Zulum, however, advised the people to live in harmony and assist the surrendered militants in resettling and successfully reintegrating into their communities rather than taking revenge.

 “I want to call on the people of Borno State to support the repentant Boko Haram insurgents, “ he said, revealing, that over 160,000 insurgents and their families have so far repented.

“We understand your fears, but imagine that these people are left in the bush; they would have been wreaking more havoc than imagined, “ Zulum maintained, observing, “Managing them in repentance is, therefore, better. “

In the N340.6 billion Borno State budget for 2024, N53. 8 billion was allocated to finance and economic development, N39. 4 billion to education, and N5.1 billion to health care.