Babagana Umara Zulum has ordered the immediate closure of the Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) camp in Bama, marking another phase of Borno State’s post-insurgency recovery and resettlement programme.
The governor announced the decision on Thursday during an assessment visit to the Government Secondary School IDP camp in Gwoza, stating that the Bama facility—the largest displacement camp outside Maiduguri—would cease operations following improvements in security across affected communities.
“We visited Bama yesterday and supervised the screening of IDPs, and by 12 noon, Bama IDP camp should be closed,” Zulum said.
“Today we are here in Gwoza, we have profiled all of them, and Insha Allah, in the next two or three weeks this camp will also be closed.”
According to the governor, the decision follows the restoration of relative peace in several communities previously affected by the insurgency, enabling displaced residents to return safely to their homes.
Over the past seven years, the state government has resettled displaced persons in several communities within Bama Local Government Area, including Darajamal, Nguro Soye, Goniri, Banki, Abbaram, Ngoshe, Kirawa and Warabe.
Zulum, however, raised concerns over increasing criminal activities within some displacement camps, warning that the facilities have become centres for social vices and potential security threats.
He disclosed that security screening had uncovered attempts by members of Boko Haram and the Islamic State West Africa Province to infiltrate the camps. He added that those identified would be returned to their respective communities under the supervision of local leaders.
The governor also decried the growing number of what he described as “fake IDPs,” alleging that some residents who already live in their communities have been returning to the camps solely to receive humanitarian assistance from non-governmental organisations.
“Many of those that are residents living in their homes are returning to the camps to receive handouts from non-governmental organisations,” he said.
Zulum noted that while the Gwoza camp accommodated fewer than 400 households about a year ago, the population has risen to nearly 3,000 households despite improved security conditions.
He reaffirmed the state government’s commitment to ensuring sustainable resettlement, adding that more IDP camps across Borno would be closed before the end of his administration as displaced families continue returning to their communities.
