Vice President Yemi Osinbajo has received the report of the Technical Working Group of the Presidential Committee on the Repatriation, Return and Resettlement of refugees and Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in the North-East of Nigeria.
The Group submitted its report on Thursday at a meeting held with the Vice President.
Chairman of the Working Group, Governor Babagana Zulum of Borno State, spoke with State House correspondents after the meeting.
He said that the report was submitted “with a view to ensuring that the repatriation exercise from Cameroon would continue immediately while the repatriation of Nigerians that are living in the Republic of Niger and the Republic of Chad will resume very soon.”
Governor Zulum said the committee was working to repatriate more than 200, 000 refugees, stressing that about 50, 000 Nigerian nationals had been repatriated from these countries in the last few years.
He said; “So, what we are looking at now is to see how we can repatriate indigenes of Borno State that are living in Niger, especially those that are from Malumfatori, Abadam Local Government Area, that are willing to come back.
“While we have those from Gwoza Local Government Area, Bama Local Government Area,that are living in Cameroon; they are also willing to come.
“We also have indigenes of Kukawa and Marte Local Government Areas that are living in Chad…So, I think the Vice President will do the needful to ensure that the president gives immediate approval in terms of funding and other logistics required for the re-establishment of these communities in Borno State.”
Governor Zulum said that the security situation in Borno State has greatly improved.
President Muhammadu Buhari had inaugurated the Committee, with Vice President Osinbajo as Chairman, earlier in the year.
Mercy Chukwudiebere
