Maiduguri — The Borno State Governor, Prof. Babagana Umara Zulum, and the Nigerian Ambassador to Chad, Zannah Umar Bukar Kolo, on Wednesday, met with the Chadian President, Idriss Deby, and the Chadian Ambassador to Nigeria, Mr. Abakar Saleh Chahaimi, to discuss the possible return of thousands of Nigerian refugees.
Most of the refugees led from Borno State to Chad following attacks by the Boko Haram insurgents since 2014.
The Special Adviser (SA) on Media to Gov. Zulum, Malam Isa Gusau, in a statement, said the meeting was meant to intensify effort to repatriate refugees willing to return to Nigeria.
At the meeting, Gov. Zulum said, “Our people are doing very well; the Government of Chad is taking care of them. So, I am here to express appreciation to the president for his generosity towards our people here in Chad.
“We have also discussed how we can voluntarily repatriate our people back to Nigeria. Basically, we are here for three things: meet our people, thank the Government of Chad and intensify collaborative effort to repatriate those who are willing to be safely resettled in different parts of Borno.”
Gov. Zulum had in January visited Chad where he met the commanders of the Multinational Joint Task Force over the insurgency. He also visited Niger and Cameroon at different times, the SA said in the statement.