Maroua (Cameroon): At least 3,122 people displaced by Boko Haram attacks were cleared Monday for return to their communities in the Gwoza and Bama council areas of Borno.
Rudacogora Monique, the Head of Sub-Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in Maroua, Cameroon, who disclosed this, said all was set for the repatriation of 3,122 refugees to Nigeria in safety and dignity.
The refugees were cleared after being screened by a combined team of the Federal Government of Nigeria, the Government of Cameroon, the Borno Government, and the UNHCR) at Maniwao Camps, Maroua, Cameroon.
She noted the week-long review cleared 306 people from 71 Gwoza households and 2,816 individuals from 486 Bama households.
The diplomat assured the refugees of their safe, dignified, and voluntary return from Minawao Refugee Camps to Nigeria under the tripartite agreement.
“I warmly appreciate the strong collaboration with the Governments of Nigeria and Cameroon.
We have worked closely to protect our people—our Nigerian brothers and sisters—living in Minawao camps.
“We have been working hand in hand to ensure their well-being, their safety, together with all the governments, and with everything we just accomplished, it’s really time to say thank you.
“Now we have seen you. Last month, in December 2025, we were privileged to host the governor of Borno State. It was a very good opportunity for the refugees and ourselves to really discuss and to remove all the fears the refugees are having while planning to return home,” she said.
The diplomat announced that a large number of the refugees had made their decision voluntarily, without any push, and were ready to leave the camps.
She, however, expressed optimism that the refugees would be in good hands during transit, adding that those who have decided to repatriate would not forget Cameroon in a hurry, as Cameroon has been a very good land for them.
Also speaking was Sone Clement Ngoe, the Divisional official for Mayo and Tsanaga, the administrative division hosting the Minawao camps, who also said the voluntary repatriation phase was very effective.
Ngoe said the processes had been going smoothly, adding that, on their part, they were working under the esteemed instruction of the Governor of Far-North Region, Gov. Midjinyawa Bakari, to ensure the smooth operation of the voluntary repatriation from beginning to end.
However, the Chairman of the repatriation technical committee, who is leading the Nigerian delegation, Mr. Tijani Aliyu, reaffirmed the safety and protection of voluntary returnees. So, the Federal Commissioner of the National Commission for Refugees, Migrants, and Internally Displaced Persons (NCFRMI), thanked security agencies, especially the Nigerian Army, for providing assurances of adequate security during the operation.
The chairman, represented by Mr Murdakai Titus, a Deputy Director at the commission, Refugee Affairs, expressed satisfaction with the support provided by the security agencies to the repatriation team.
“We thank the Nigerian Army for supporting a secure repatriation exercise,” he said. Mr Lawan Wakilbe, the representative of the Borno government and the state Commissioner for Education, said adequate arrangements had been put in place by the state government to ensure the safety of its people during and after the repatriation.
Wakilbe said that the state government has made provision for accommodation for over 400 households returning to Bama, in addition to N100,000 cash support to each household head and N20,000 to each wife, alongside the federal government package.
He said that of the 486 Bama households, 22 lack accommodation; each receives N500,000 for housing and N50,000 for each wife.e returning to Gwoza since they don’t have houses, His Excellency, the Governor of Borno State, has given N500,000 to every household’s head and N50,000 to the wife in addition to the returning package that the federal government is going to give,” the commissioner said.