Borno State Governor Babagana Zulum has inaugurated a 23-member committee for the relocation of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) of Baga communities to their ancestral homes in Kukawa Local Government Area of the state.
Baga is a fishing community located on the fringes of Lake Chad which has been deserted for over two years due to activities of insurgents.
The committee is headed by the Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Barr Kaka Shehu Lawan, with the Permanent Secretary Ministry of Reconstruction, Rehabilitation and Resettlement (RRR), Engineer Abba Yusuf serving as secretary.
Zulum said the inauguration and relocation was sequel to the letter sent to the Chief of Army Staff, Lt. General Tukur Yusuf Buratai, demanding immediate resettlement of all IDPs of Baga commencing on September 26, 2020.
He said the government will not hesitate in releasing funds for the reconstruction of destroyed infrastructures and road networks of Monguno-Cross-Kauwa-Baga town, and as well provide palliatives to all returnees.
He therefore charged the committee to ensure the dignified and safe return of all IDPs, saying the government was doing everything possible to support them start a new life.
Responding, the chairman of the committee, Barr Lawan promised to work hard to ensure the safe return of IDPs to Baga town within the stipulated time frame.
By Ibrahim Sawa