The governor of Borno State, Babagana Zulum led a well-known Nigerian team to begin repatriating refugees to Baga Sola, Chad Republic, who had escaped the Boko Haram conflict.
A statement obtained on Thursday asserts that the insurgency which impacted communities surrounding the Lake Chad Basin has caused the displaced people, who are primarily Borno indigenous, to be absent from their homes for about ten years.
The Governor of Lac Province, Saleh Tidjani, welcomed the delegation in Baga Sola on Wednesday. The delegation included Dr. Yusuf Sununu, Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction, and the Federal Commissioner/CEO of the National Commission for Refugees, Migrants, and Internally Displaced Persons.
The statement noted that as part of the first phase of the repatriation exercise, 1,768 families, comprising 7,790 people, will return to Nigeria.
The statement read, “In the first batch of the repatriation exercise, about 1,768 families comprising 7,790 people will return to Nigeria.”
The statement added that before launching the first batch of the repatriation, Zulum attended the signing of a tripartite agreement in Baga Sola between the governments of Nigeria, Chad and the United Nations High Commission for Refugees.
The statement added, “The Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Dr Yusuf Tanko Sununu, signed on behalf of Nigeria, the Governor of Lac Province for the Republic of Tchad and Jerome Merlin, Second Rep UNHCR in Baga Sola, signed for the UN refugee agency.
“Delivering his address at the signing-in ceremony, Zulum emphasised that only those that have voluntarily indicated interest in returning will be repatriated. The governor expressed gratitude to the government of Tchad for hosting thousands of Nigerians displaced by the crises in Borno.”
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The Nigerian delegation also included Head of Chancery at the Nigerian Embassy in N’Djamena, Abdulkadir Ibrahim Ghani; Member of the Borno State House of Assembly representing Kukawa, Hon. Karta Maina Ma’aji; Commissioners Prof. Usman Tar (Information) and Sugun Mai Mele (Local Government Affairs); and Mustapha Ali Busuguma, Permanent Secretary, Government House.
Meanwhile, the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Sununu, commended Zulum for his leadership and cooperation with the federal government.
“I want to thank the Executive Governor of Borno State for showing leadership during crises and serving as a role model in terms of complete collaboration with the federal government and for providing all the necessary support,” Sununu said.
