Borno State Governor, Babagana Umara Zulum, has announced a plan to construct three integrated villages for the resettlement of Nigerian refugees displaced by the Boko Haram insurgency in 2014.

Over 20,000 refugees were reportedly displaced by the activities of Boko Haram insurgents in Borno, Yobe, and Adamawa who were forced to take refuge in the neighbouring Republic of Chad, Cameroon, and Niger.

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Zulum disclosed this while chairing a technical committee meeting that was held at the Borno State Liason office in Abuja on Monday.

Zulum is the Vice Chairman of the Presidential Committee on Repatriation, Return, and Resettlement of refugees as well as the management of repentant Boko Haram members with Vice President Yemi Osibanjo heading the committee.

The governor announced that President Buhari has approved the release of N15b to the committee with the Borno State Government handling the construction of the 3 villages aimed to resettle the returnees from the neighbouring countries.

Zulum explained that the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) will handle the provision of food and non-food relief materials, and the National Refugees Commission to coordinate the repatriation process of the refugees living in Chad, Cameroon, and Niger while the Defence headquarters to provide adequate security for the exercise.

The governor also noted that the construction of the villages and the repatriation process will be conducted in phases and only those willing to return will be considered.

The meeting was attended by the Attorney General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami, representatives of all the relevant agencies and security operatives, and humanitarian organizations.

Meanwhile, Governor Babagana Umara Zulum last Friday traveled to Baga Sola located in the Lac region of the Republic of Chad.

During the visit, each refugee of Borno extraction was given 5,000 Chadien currency to support their livelihood during the month of Ramadan.

Recall that in December 2020, Governor Zulum was also in Baga Sola where N50m was distributed to 5,000 refugees mostly from Kukawa and Kala-Balge Local Government Areas.

The governor had visited Chad, Cameroon, and the Niger Republic at different times to meet Borno citizens taking refuge in the three neighboring countries with land borders connecting Borno from different angles.

During each of these trips, Zulum supervised the delivery of food and financial aid to thousands of refugees.