The governor of Borno State, Babagana Umara Zulum, arrived in Niger on Thursday to hold talks with President Bazoum Muhammadu about repatriating internally displaced persons who are taking refuge in Diffa, a city and urban commune in the country’s extreme southeast.

It is estimated that there are more than 40,000 internally displaced persons – mostly from Abadam, a local government area of Borno State, others from Malumfateri Camp.

Diffa is close to some communities in northern Borno, some of which share land borders with Niger. Government and citizens in both countries have been collaborating on securities and the management of internally displaced persons.

Many of the Nigerian citizens fled from communities in northern Borno in 2014 when there was a major spike in the number of attacks by extremists, mostly by insurgents belonging to the Jamā’at Ahl as-Sunnah lid-Da’wah wa’l-Jihād (JAS), more commonly referred to as Boko Haram.

Babagana Bulama, an internally displaced person, told RNI reporter Hadiza Dowood that he would rather die in his own home than in that belonging to someone else.

He said he had been unable to farm since he had fled to Niger and he did not have any other means of making money because farming was all he knew.

“We are now happy that we will be returned to our homes after being displaced for so many years,” he said.

Babagana Bulama Ganjar, an internally displaced person from Malumfateri Camp, said he was pleased Zulum was in Niger. He hoped the visit would result in the return of him and other Nigerian citizens to their ancestral communities.

“We have suffered greatly for many years because of being displaced by the increasing number of attacks by insurgents. The governor’s visit means he has not forgotten about us.”

Another internally displaced person from Malumfatari who is also taking refuge in Diffa said Zulum had done much to improve the quality of lives and wellbeing of his people regardless of where they were.

He had not believed he would ever be displaced from his ancestral community because Borno was known as a peaceful state.

“Unfortunately, we were forced to leave our homes with empty hands after the surge in attacks and we have been struggling ever since,” he said.

He desperately wanted the governor to organise the repatriation of Nigerian citizens as soon as possible. “I want to go back to my farm now because it’s the rainy season and the right time to plant seeds and get crops growing.”

Although attacks in Borno – and especially in Abadam – by the JAS began long before 2014, in that year they ramped up the number sending hundreds of thousands of Nigerian citizens fleeing either to safer areas in Nigeria or to neighbouring countries. Many ended up in Niger.

After Thursday’s meeting Zulum briefed journalists.

Vanguard reported him as saying: “The outcome is very fruitful, we have taken a number of decisions, which includes the reparation of Borno citizens back to our communities. These people have been in Niger in the last six years. With significant improvement regarding our security situation, our people are now looking forward to returning to their communities. We will work with all relevant institutions to ensure the safe and dignified return of citizens. We shall do everything possible within our reach to safely resettle our people within the shortest possible time.”