The festive season and the arrival of President Muhammadu Buhari to commission projects in Maiduguri on Wednesday, December 23, has given thousands of internally displaced persons some reprieve.
They were supposed to leave the last five state-run IDP camps by tomorrow, the last day of the year. But the festive season and Buhari’s visit had delayed processing the distribution of the state payouts promised to the IDPs and they would now be allowed to continue living in the camps until they received their money.
The Borno State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA) said it had not been able to process the distribution of the cash to the remaining IDPs because of the festive season and the timing of Buhari’s visit, which had caused the delay.
But, it said, once everyone had been paid, the IDPs would have to leave and the gates to the camps would be closed and locked as had been agreed.
Tomorrow would have been crunch time for the thousands of IDPs still living the in the state-run camps. They would have been left with two options: Return to the villages and towns they fled because of the insurgency, or find another another place to live in Maiduguri or elsewhere.
Already Mongolis, Bakassi, Gidan Taki and NYSC IDP camps had been evacuated and closed. But tomorrow, had all gone to plan, the last five – Dalori, Stadium, Teachers, Gubio and Muna – would also have been shut and the gates locked.
Dr Mairo Mandara, Zulum’s special adviser and coordinator for sustainable development, partnerships and humanitarian support, said in an earlier interview that even if the IDPs had no place else to stay, they would have had to leave the camps.
In October, Zulum announced that all official IDP camps would be closed by December 31.
At the time, he said: “So far so good, Borno State government have started well and arrangements have been concluded to ensure the closure of all internally displaced persons camps that are inside Maiduguri metropolis on or before 31st December 2021.”
He said security had improved in the state so much that those living in camps in the capital, Maiduguri, could return to their villages and towns.
The government had agreed to give men, widows and divorced people US$200 and US$100 to married women. They could use the money to return to their villages or to rent accommodation in Maiduguri.
But some IDPs told RNI that they were afraid of returning to their villages because attacks by insurgents were ongoing and they did not think they would be safe.
When RNI visited IDPs in the remaining camps, most had packed up their possessions and were ready to leave, but they were waiting for the money promised to them by the government. Many said they were happy to return to their villages and towns.
RNI reporter Nana Hadiza Mustapha visited IDPs in the Teachers Village Camp where the majority of the residents had already received their payouts. Those still there said they were packed and ready to go; they were simply waiting for the money.
Fatima Ibrahim, an IDP originally from Gamboru Ngala, said: “I still have not received the money from the state. Those who got their money have already returned to Gamboru. They said the town is now peaceful. But there are eight married women and 68 single women who are still in the camp and who are still waiting for the state to pay up. I think living back in Gamboru Ngala will be more peaceful and more enjoyable than living in the IDP camp.”
Ibrahim said all her belongings were packed and she was just waiting for the payout.
Abdulkadir Massa, an IDP originally from Doron Baga, said: “I am alone here because my family have already left. I stayed behind just to collect money owed to me by someone else. But if he does not repay it before the deadline, I will leave. The government has already given me 100,000 naira in cash and my wife 50,000 naira.”
He said although they were used to living in Maiduguri, “it is best that we return to our homeland and we have been told there is peace in Doron Baga now”.
Umaru Dan Tani, also originally from Doron Baga, said he was happy to be returning to his home town. “It will be better than living in the IDP camp. I received 100,000 naira from the government and I am ready to leave for my town today. My children left with our belongings and they are already living back home.”
Maryam Abubakar, originally from the Kukawa Local Government Area, which is close to Lake Chad, said: “I have not received the money yet. But, once I get it, I will immediately leave for Kukawa. I would not like to spend another night in the camp.”
There were 16 official IDP camps in Maiduguri before 2018 but many were closed down or merged with other camps, reducing the number to nine. There were now only the remaining five.
However, there are still 80 community IDP camps in Maiduguri, which will remain open. It is expected that many of the IDPs would go there to find shelter.
