May could see the return of the about 200,000 Borno State refugees living in neighbouring Niger Republic who fled their homes in the wake of the Boko Haram violence in 2014.
This was declared on Tuesday by the state’s governor, Babagana Umara Zulum, in Malam-Fatori, the administrative centre for the Nigeria/Niger Republic border.
Currently, the refugees are spread out throughout the nearby Niger Republic cities of Bosso, Tumur, and Diffa.
In addition to offering support to the military in advance of his May 2023 target for the safe and voluntary return of refugees from the neighbouring Francophone country to their ancestral community, Governor Zulum stated that he was in Malam-Fatori to observe firsthand the clearance process in the town.
“We want the people to return next month (May) for normal activities to return to this part of the state, insha’Allah. We will give all the necessary support to the Nigerian military to make sure that this objective is achieved, insha’Allah,” he declared.
“We call on our people to be resilient and give maximum cooperation to the security operatives working to restore normalcy”, Zulum said during his interaction with the Commanding Officer of 68 battalion, Malam-Fatori, Col. A. Onyeukwu.
Zulum was accompanied by the House of Reps-elect for Marte, Monguno and Nganzai, Engr. Bukar Talba, Commissioner for Local Government and Emirates Affairs, Sugun Mai Mele, Transition Council Chairman of Abadam and some prominent indigenes of Abadam.
