Borno Residents Return Home 18 Months After BH Ouster

About 7, 000 Nigerians evicted from their Gomboru Ngala homes in Borno State by the Boko Haram insurgency have returned after almost one and a half years of exile in neighbouring Cameroon.

On hand to receive them was the Chairman of the Local Government, Alhaji Abdulrahman Abdulkarim,  who distributed relief materials to them.

A similar gesture was extended to those still taking refuge in Fotokol, Cameroon.

Each family was given a bag of rice, grain, oil and condiment.

Abdulkarim described the situation in Gamboru as pathetic with many houses burnt and uninhabitable.

Most of the returnees are currently being accommodated by those whose houses survived the Boko Haram onslaught.

“Although almost all our homes are burnt but they agreed to share houses with their neighbors and they are ready to protect themselves  from any attack,’’ he told reporters in Maiduguri.

He called for the deployment of paramilitary personnel to secure the borders ”so that whoever wants to come in will be screened.”

He added: “Our people are ready to support the security agencies. In fact the military men on ground are doing a good job there.

“We have more 7000 people that have returned as at last Thursday and more people are still coming. In fact they are eager to come back to come.”

Boko Haram insurgents invaded the border town in August 2014 killing hundreds of the residents.

Over 50,000 residents were forced to flee to Cameroon, Maiduguri and Adamawa states.

Nigerian troops reclaimed Gomboru Ngala five months ago from the militants after the Chief of Army Staff Lt Gen Buratai led top generals and security outfit to raise the Nigerian flag in the town.

The returnees crossed the 300-metre   river bridge that forms the border with Cameroon, following calls by military and local leaders for residents to return.

-The Nation reportage