The Borno State government through the state’s Relocation Committee (SREC) has evacuated 4,506 Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) taking refuge in public school to other camps to enable the government re-open the public schools.
It could be recalled that recently over 600 IDPS from Government Girls Secondary School, Yerwa in Maiduguri were successfully relocated to Dalori camps, after which they were reunited with their families.
While addressing newsmen on the relocation exercise at Government College, Maiduguri, the Borno state Commissioner of Education, Hon. Musa Inuwa Kubo, who is also the SREC Chairman said that the
Bakassi camp has the basic facilities for family size tents, water and security to accommodate and protect the lives of 4,500 displaced persons from the college.
He added: “I have already addressed the IDPs on their relocation from this college to a camp at Bakassi Housing Estate. In the camp, there is adequate water supply, there are toilets; and we have also collaborated with the military and other security agencies for a smooth relocation exercise that had been delayed for over two months.
“So with these facilities in place at Bakassi and security of displaced persons, there is going to be no problem,” he said.
The commissioner stated that before any IDP boards the bus to camp, ‘they have to be registered first, including his or her name, family members and wives if there is any to join them and resettle in the family size tent of eight persons.
“The family size tents have optimal weather conditions. So, the IDPs’ fears on that the tents or camp would be very hot shouldn’t arise at all. The living condition at Bakassi housing estate is such that people will be comfortable”, Kubo said.
“Immediately we complete this relocation exercise of displaced persons to camps, then the schools will have one week to put things in place and thereafter, we resume. You can agree with me, so many things have been vandalised in the public schools. The toilets have to be evacuated. We have to fumigate and sanitise the environment before we call the students to come and avoid any outbreak of an epidemic,” the commissioner assured.
He however warned: “Any IDP that wants to exit and stay out of camps, has to fill the exit form, indicating that the Borno state government will hands off their resettlements and feeding, before they return to their respective communities this year.”
He said the massive relocation of the IDPs from schools, was to enable government re-open schools that were closed since March 14, 2014 over Boko Haram insurgency in the state.
The relocation exercise, which commences as from 8pm on Monday, was coordinated by the military and other security agencies amidst tight security.
