Borno Closes Bama IDP Camp After Returns

Governor Zulum orders Bama IDP camp closure as communities regain stability and displaced residents prepare to return home.

Borno State Governor Babagana Umara Zulum has ordered the immediate closure of the Bama Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) camp, following improved security conditions in several communities previously affected by insurgency.

The governor announced the decision on Thursday in Gwoza after visiting the Government Secondary School IDP camp for an assessment. He said the screening of displaced residents in Bama had been completed and the camp would close immediately.

“We visited Bama yesterday and supervised the screening of IDPs, and by 12 noon, Bama IDP camp should be closed.

“Today we are here in Gwoza, we have profiled all of them, and Insha Allah, in the next two or three weeks this camp will also be closed.”

According to Governor Zulum, the return of displaced residents has become possible because of the relative peace now experienced in many communities that were once controlled by Boko Haram insurgents.

Over the past seven years, the Borno State Government has supported the resettlement of several communities in Bama Local Government Area, including Darajamal, Nguro Soye, Goniri, Banki, Abbaram, Ngoshe, Kirawa and Warabe.

However, the governor raised concerns about increasing criminal activities inside some IDP camps in Borno State. He said some facilities had become centres for social problems and warned that insurgent groups could exploit such situations.

He also expressed concern over reports of people returning to camps to receive relief materials from non-governmental organisations despite already living in their communities. Zulum said screening exercises had identified a number of individuals falsely presenting themselves as displaced persons.

The governor added that the Gwoza IDP camp would be the next facility considered for closure, with more camps expected to follow before the end of his administration. He stressed that the government would focus on ensuring sustainable returns rather than maintaining camps indefinitely.

How can authorities ensure displaced families receive support while making community returns sustainable?