President Muhammadu Buhari’s regime says it is making frantic efforts to return home 500,000 Nigerians who fled their homes because of Boko Haram’s vicious attacks and are now languishing in foreign countries.

Imaan Suleiman-Ibrahim, the federal commissioner of the National Commission for Refugees Migrants and Internally Displaced Persons, announced that the regime would repatriate the fleeing Boko Haram victims from Niger, Chad, and Cameroon.

Ms Suleiman-Ibrahim disclosed this in New York at the 77th session of the UN General Assembly.

She spoke on the sidelines of the high-level side event on ‘Strengthening Resilience and Sustaining Development: A Humanitarian Development Peace Approach to Leaving No One Behind’.

“We have almost about 500,000 awaiting repatriation. The next batch will consist of 1,000 people, and it is a spontaneous return that is happening now, and we are looking after them as they come back,’’ the commissioner said.

According to her, there is a presidential committee on repatriation in the North-East, and the committee is to complement the technical working group on repatriation, chaired by the commission.

“It is a process that has been ongoing, and we have started repatriation. We are experiencing involuntary returns from Nigerians in those countries. So, it’s going to happen before the end of Mr President’s tenure. We would have brought everybody back home, and there is funding allocated for us,” said Ms Suleiman-Ibrahim.

Governor Babagana Zulum said over 90,000 repentant Boko Haram ISWAP terrorists had voluntarily surrendered to the Nigerian Army for disarmament, de-radicalisation and reintegration.

“I want to bring to the notice of this gathering that within the last one year, Borno state government, and indeed the federal government, has so far received over 90,000 repentant Boko Haram and ISWAP members,” the governor stated. “This has never happened anywhere in the history of the world. The insurgency is coming to an end.”

He stressed that before the President Muhammadu Buhari regime, 22 local government areas in Borno, out of the 27 local government areas, were under the control of Boko Haram.

“But today, none of our local government areas are under the control of Boko Haram insurgents,’’ said Mr Zulum.

He added, “The nexus between peace, security and development need not be over-emphasised. If there is no peace, there will be no security, and if there is no security, there is no development. I’m glad to inform you that the president has also inaugurated the committee for the repatriation of all Nigerians that are living in the Republic of Chad, Cameroon, as well as Niger.”

(NAN)