Displaced persons threaten return to Boko Haram areas due to economic crisis

Displaced individuals in Borno State, seeking refuge in camps due to insurgency, have expressed frustration and threatened to return to areas controlled by Boko Haram, citing hunger and harsh living conditions as primary reasons.

Displaced persons in Borno State, who sought refuge in camps due to the insurgency, have expressed frustration and threatened to return to areas controlled by the terrorist group Boko Haram.

Citing hunger and harsh living conditions as their primary reasons, several Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) and even family members of repentant Boko Haram fighters have voiced similar threats.

Reports indicate a growing discontent among the displaced population, fuelled by alleged neglect from authorities, particularly in providing daily essentials such as food and other necessities.

Some IDPs and family members of repentant insurgents claim that life was comparatively better under Boko Haram occupation, arguing that the present circumstances in the camps are unbearable.

The lack of necessities and the absence of available farmlands for cultivation have exacerbated the situation, leading to widespread frustration among the displaced population.

A resident in one of the IDP camps lamented, “We took the decision to leave our families behind and relocate to the Boko Haram-controlled area because it is all about dying whether here or there.”

Echoing similar sentiments, the families of repentant Boko Haram fighters assert that the hardships in the camps have left them with no option but to consider returning to the territories controlled by the insurgent group.

Reacting to the development, Borno State Governor Babagana Umara Zulum dismissed the complaints as baseless, stating, “Those who want to return to Boko Haram in the bush are free to do so.”