Cameroonian officials have repatriated and handed over the first batch of 5,000 Nigerian refugees to Borno State Governor, Professor Babagana Umara Zulum.
The Cameroonian delegation, led by the Minister for Territorial Administration, Paul Atanga Nji, handed over the returnees at a brief ceremony in Amchiide, a border community between Nigeria and Cameroon close to Banki in Bama Local Government Area of Borno Central.
The returnees were part of thousands of Nigerians, mostly from Borno, who, since 2014, had fled Boko Haram attacks in batches to Minawao Camp, located in Mokolo, far North Region of Cameroon.
About 60 thousand Nigerians, were reported ti have fled to the camp from parts of Borno and Adamawa States.
The handover ceremony was attended by top officials from Cameroon, including the governor of the far North Region, Midjiyawa Bakary and officials of the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR).
The Cameroonian Minister for Territorial Administration, Paul Atanga Nji Paul, announced that President Paul Biya had approved a big relief package, which included food items, mattresses, blankets and other non-food items for distribution to all the 5,000 returnees as support.
The minister commended Governor Zulum for constructing homes where the refugees would be resettled.
Governor Zulum had equally approved funds and supervised the ongoing construction of over 6,000 urban and low-cost resettlement houses in Banki, Gwoza, Kondugu, Kaga and different other places, with a substantial number of them already completed.
The majority of them are used for the resettlement of refugees and internally displaced persons. 
Consequently, Governor Zulum, on behalf of the Nigerian Government, thanked the Cameroonian president, other officials and host communities for taking good care of Nigerian refugees in the last six years, as well as President Biya for the donation.
“I wish to sincerely convey our deepest appreciation to the government of Cameroon under the distinguished leadership of President Paul Biya for the enormous support to my fellow Nigerians who took refuge in the Minawao [refugee] Camp. We remain eternally grateful,” Zulum said.
The repatriation was to implement the outcome of a tripartite commission meeting held in Marwa, Cameroon, on February 10, 2021.
In a related development Governor, Zulum flagged off the presentation of food and non-food items to the 5,000 Nigerian returnees in Banki Town, after receiving the refugees.
The package consists of male heads of families each getting 30,000 naira each; while each woman was given 10,000 naira each and a fabric.
The governor expressed his sympathy for how they lived as refugees, giving them the assurances that his government was committed to their security, welfare and creating the enabling environment for them to return to normal life.
Zainab Sa’id
