Zulum To Shut Konduga IDP Camp As Resettlement Gains Momentum In Borno

The move comes after the successful shutdown of the Bama IDP camp, the biggest camp outside Maiduguri, and ongoing preparations to close the Gwoza camp.  

Governor Zulum made this known on Monday while on an assessment tour of ongoing resettlement projects in Amarwa and Maiwa communities.  

“We are not forcing anyone out today. We are here first to engage the IDPs so that in the next four months we can begin a resettlement that is safe, voluntary and dignified,” Zulum told journalists during the visit.  

“I have heard directly from the displaced persons that they are willing to return to their communities. Let me be clear: this return will be voluntary, not by force,” he added.  

The governor has consistently insisted that displaced families must choose their own time and destination of return, whether to ancestral villages or to other areas they consider safe.  
  
During the tour, Professor Zulum inspected the Amarwa resettlement city in Konduga LGA, where construction of housing units is progressing. The governor had earlier performed the groundbreaking for the project, designed to accommodate families currently living in camps.  

He later proceeded to Maiwa in Mafa LGA, where the state government is building large-scale housing estates under the same resettlement programme.  
According to the governor, the new settlements will not only provide shelter but also include essential public services.  

“These houses are being built with supporting infrastructure. We have provided a primary healthcare centre, water supply system and other basic amenities so that people can return and live with dignity,” Zulum said.  


The governor was accompanied on the inspection by the member representing the area in the House of Representatives, Engr. Bukar Talba; Konduga Constituency member in the Borno State House of Assembly, Hon. Bukar Modu; Commissioner for Local Government and Emirate Affairs, Sugun Mai Mele; and other senior government officials.  
The planned closure of the Konduga camp is expected to further reduce the number of IDP camps in the state, as the Zulum administration continues to prioritize voluntary return, reconstruction and reintegration of displaced communities across Borno.