No fewer than 705 Nigerian refugees have returned from Cameroon to Banki town in Bama Local Government Area of Borno State under an ongoing voluntary repatriation programme.
The returnees, comprising 85 households displaced by years of insurgency, arrived in Banki after departing Maroua in Cameroon’s Far North Region, where officials supervised their movement as part of the fourth phase of the exercise. Earlier in the week, 300 refugees were similarly repatriated to Pulka in Gwoza Local Government Area.
Security and traditional authorities, including the Commanding Officer of the 152 Task Force Battalion, Lieutenant Colonel Michael Ndubusi, and the District Head of Banki, Alhaji Mohammed Shehu Umar, received the returnees on arrival. They were taken to a designated reception centre for registration and other formal procedures.
Officials said the refugees will be resettled in newly constructed housing units funded by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees and implemented by the Borno State Government.
The Chairman of the Repatriation Committee, Lawan Abba Wakilbe, said the state government approved cash and material assistance for the returnees, including N100,000 for each household head and N20,000 for each wife, alongside mattresses and wrappers.
Food items and building materials were also distributed by the National Commission for Refugees, Migrants and Internally Displaced Persons to support immediate needs and housing improvements as additional refugees are expected to return.
Will the current pace of repatriation be matched by sustainable security and livelihoods for returning families?
#RefugeeRepatriation #BornoRecovery #NigeriaNews #HumanitarianAffairs #AfricanMedia
Leave a Reply