Zulum Leads Delegation To Tchad, Repatriate 7,790 Refugees

Zulum leads delegation to Tchad, repatriate 7,790 refugees

By Madu Mohammed,, Maiduguri

Governor Babagana Zulum of Borno state, led a delegation of government officials from Nigeria to kick start the repatriation of refugees that fled their communities as a result of Boko Haram insurgency to Baga Sola in Tchad Republic.

The refugees, most of them were indigenes of Borno, displaced for nearly ten years by the insurgency which affected communities around Lake Chad Basin.

The delegation which includes the State Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction, Dr Yusuf Tanko Sununu, and the Federal Commissioner/Chief Executive Officer of the National Commission for Refugees, Migrants and Internally Displaced Persons (NCFRMI) were received on Wednesday in Baga Sola by the Governor of Lac Province, Saleh Haggar Tidjani.

The delegation in the first batch of the repatriation exercise relocated, about 1,768 families comprising 7,790 people back to Nigeria.

Before launching the first batch of the repatriation, Zulum attended the signing of a tripartite agreement in Baga Sola between the governments of Nigeria, Tchad and the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR).

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.

Zulum expressed gratitude to the government of Tchad for hosting thousands of Nigerians displaced by the crises in Borno.

The delegation also comprises the Head of Chancery, Nigerian Embassy in N’Djamena, Abdulkadir Ibrahim Ghani, Member of Borno State House of Assembly representing Kukawa, Hon Karta Maina Ma’aji, Commissioners of Information and Local Government Affairs, Prof. Usman Tar, and Sugun Mai Mele and the Permanent Secretary Government House, Mustapha Ali Busuguma.

Also speaking during the exercise, the State Minister of Humanitarian and Disaster Management has commended Borno State Governor, Babagana Umara Zulum, for the leadership he has been providing in the service of the people of Borno State.

He said, “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.”