Zulum: Boko Haram Won’t Be Defeated Until Displaced Citizens Return Home

Governor Babagana Zulum of Borno State has emphasised that the fight against Boko Haram will remain incomplete unless internally displaced persons (IDPS) are fully resettled in their ancestral homes.

Speaking during a visit to the Muna IDP camp in Maiduguri on Monday, which currently shelters more than 11,000 families, Zulum reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to rebuilding communities ravaged by insurgency.

“Boko Haram can never be eradicated without resettlement. People have to go back to their homes and earn their livelihood,” Zulum said, according to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN).

The governor revealed that over 6,000 families have already been relocated to their communities in Dikwa and Mafa Local Government Areas, a move he described as critical to restoring normalcy and curbing crime in the overcrowded IDP camps.

Zulum raised concerns over a surge in social vices within camps like Muna, including prostitution, gangsterism, and child abuse, warning that these issues threaten to reverse the gains made in security and rehabilitation efforts.

To support the resettled families, the state government is providing food supplies, building materials for shelter, and healthcare access. In addition, male and female heads of households will each receive ₦100,000 in cash support, while housewives will receive ₦50,000.

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The governor also highlighted the nearing completion of his administration’s pledge to shut down all formal IDP camps within Maiduguri.

“About 75 per cent of the IDPS here at Muna have been resettled. The remaining 25 per cent will return to their ancestral homes in the coming days,” he stated.