Boko Haram: Zulum meets Onyeama over repatriation of feeing Nigerians from Cameroon

By Bode Olushegun

Borno State Governor, Prof. Babagana Zulum on Thursday met Nigeria’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Geoffrey Onyeama to conclude intergovernmental efforts for voluntary repatriation of thousands of indigenes of Borno State currently taking refuge in parts of Cameroon.

The refugees have fled in batches in the last six years due to Boko Haram insurgency.

The meeting, which held at the Federal Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Abuja, was a follow up to the governor’s series of meetings with Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development, Hajiya Sadiya Umar-Farouk, top executives of the National Commission for Refugees, Migrants and Internally Displaced Persons, the United Nations High Commission for Refugees, UNHCR, and other stakeholders.

According to a statement by Zulum’s spokesperson, Mallam Isa Gusau, the Thursday meeting, which held behind closed doors, discussed the role of the federal ministry of foreign affairs which has the mandate to facilitate the repatriation through diplomatic channels, with the hope to undertaking it, in January 2021

The meeting was attended by Nigeria’s serving Ambassador to China, Amb. Baba Ahmad Jidda, who was there as a statesman from Borno state.

More than 60,000 Nigerian refugees, a majority from Borno and some from Adamawa states, are believed to be in Minwao camp in Cameroon, which Zulum had visited and supported with social protection reliefs.

The governor has also approved ongoing construction of thousands of houses in which repatriated refugees will be permanently resettled in safe communities.

Zulum was also in the Niger Republic and the Republic of Chad where Borno citizens are always fleeing to as refugees in the events of terrorists’ artacks.

In both countries, the governor authorized and supervised the distribution of food items and cash relief to thousands of families, some of whom the governor had to cross Lake Chad waters in order to reach them in Baga Sola refugee camp within the Chadian border territory.

N50m was distributed to 5,000 families in the area about three weeks ago.

Within that same period, Zulum was in N’Djamena in Chad, and was hosted by President Idris Deby to discuss repatriation of thousands of Nigerian refugees, a majority from Borno.

The meeting, held at the presidential palace, was attended by Nigerian ambassador to Chad, Zannah Umar Bukar Kolo, who represented Nigeria’s federal ministry of foreign affairs.