Displaced persons in Borno State have expressed their frustration and threatened to return to areas controlled by the terrorist group Boko Haram.
The displaced individuals, who sought refuge in camps due to the insurgency, cited hunger and harsh living conditions as their primary reasons for contemplating such a drastic move.
Reports indicate that several Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) and even family members of repentant Boko Haram fighters have voiced similar threats.
The common complaint revolves around the alleged neglect by authorities, particularly in providing daily essentials such as food and other necessities.
Claiming that life was comparatively better under Boko Haram occupation, some IDPs and family members of repentant insurgents argue that the present circumstances in the camps are unbearable.
The lack of necessities and the absence of available farmlands for cultivation have fueled discontent among the displaced population.
A resident in one of the IDP camps, expressing the prevailing sentiment, 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.”
The families of repentant Boko Haram fighters echo these sentiments, asserting 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.”