Borno State Governor Babagana Zulum has repatriated the first batch of 300 Nigerian refugees from Cameroon to Gwoza Local Council of the state.

The returnees, comprising 74 households, arrived at the Pulka border community in what officials described as a coordinated and dignified homecoming after spending about 11 years at the Minawao refugee camp in Cameroon.

Represented by the Chairman of the Borno State Sub-Committee on Repatriation (BOSCR), Lawan Abba Wakilbe, the governor said the exercise followed his visit to the refugees’ camp on December 8, 2025, where he pledged to ensure a voluntary, safe and dignified return.

“The journey for the families represents not merely a border crossing, but an emotional passage from displacement to rebuilding their livelihoods,” Wakilbe said.

He described the repatriation as a major achievement of the present administration, adding that the exercise reflected the collective resolve to restore hope in border communities.

“We are not just moving people; we are restoring lives by reigniting hope in our communities,” he said.

In a show of regional solidarity, the Governor of Cameroon’s Far North Region, Minjinyawa Bakari, personally saw the refugees off, reaffirming bilateral cooperation to address the humanitarian impact of insurgency across the Lake Chad Basin.

On arrival in Pulka, the returnees were received by local authorities and security officials. Some were seen kneeling to touch the soil of their homeland, while others offered prayers. Children, many of whom had spent most of their lives in Cameroon, looked on with curiosity.

Each head of household received N500,000 in cash, while each wife was given N50,000 to support reintegration into the community. The Borno State Government also provided mattresses and wrappers, while the National Commission for Refugees supplied food items, including rice, millet, beans and cooking oil.

Officials said the first phase of the repatriation forms part of a broader strategy to stabilise resettled communities, rebuild infrastructure and restore livelihoods in insurgency-affected areas.

Those who accompanied Wakilbe included members of the Borno State House of Assembly representing Kaga, Gwoza and Gulumba; Mustafa Alibe Benishiekh, Buba Abatcha and Baba Shehu Gulumba; the Chairman of Gwoza Local Council, Abba Shehu Timta; and an official of the National Commission for Refugees, Migrants and Internally Displaced Persons, Murdakai Titus.