100,000 IDPs from Lake Chad return home – MNJTF

The Multinational Joint Task Force (MNJTF) has disclosed that more than 100,000 internally displaced persons (IDPs) have been resettled to their ancestral homes in the fringe of Lake Chad as part of the successes recorded against terrorists in boundary communities of Nigeria, Niger, Chad and Cameroon.

The Force Commander of Multinational Joint Task Force (MNJTF), Major General Abdul Khalifah Ibrahim, disclosed this on Thursday at the Maimalari Cantonment, Maiduguri during the Medals presentation parade to officers and soldiers who participated in the just concluded Operation Lake Sanity.

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Ibrahim explained that economic and social activities had been restored in the communities.

He said, “Things are getting better, we have less attacks in these areas and when you have less attacks you have less causalities. There are less attacks on civilian populace and there are less attacks even on our military locations and this is as a result of the increase in military operations that is ongoing. Operation Desert Sanity is ongoing, Operation Lake Sanity has just been concluded even though we are planning for another one.

“In the last one year within the Lake Chad basin areas, more than 100,000 people have returned to their ancestral homes, these are people who are either refugees in other countries or internally displaced. They have come back to places like Banki, places like Cross Power, places like Baga, this are all within Nigeria. When you go Niger places like Baroua, when you go to Chad places like Bitiri and when go to Cameroon places like Amchibi and Gulafata people have gone back to their ancestral home” he said

“Things are picking up gradually, economic activities is picking up, schools that were close before were been reopen, markets, hospitals are coming onboarding. While we cannot say everything is done or just end but we’re not where before and we have making progress. In the aftermath of crisis we cannot finish in one day, is not an event but a process and we working to ensure that all these wherever they are were defeated.”

He added, “Yes, most of the terrorists are running away from the Lake Chad basin to other parts of the country and we are also working in tandem with other security agencies to track down the fleeing terrorists anywhere they are.”

Meanwhile, the Force Commander also led the decorations of 850 officers and soldiers who participated in the Lake Chad Sanity operations, adding that Sector 1 Operation of Hadinkai supported the Multinational Joint Task Force operations with a batalian who have done every well in clearing a lot areas.