The Yobe State government has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) of the United Nations to accelerate the resettlement and rehabilitation of internally displaced persons (IDPs).

The initiative aims to return approximately 850,000 IDPs to insurgency-affected communities in Gujba, Yusufari, Fika, Gulani, and Geidam, a border area with Niger.

Speaking yesterday, Mohammed Mamman, the Director General of Press and Media Affairs, stated that Governor Mai Mala Buni had launched the IDPs State Policy to tackle the challenges of resettling and rehabilitating displaced persons in their ancestral homes, including those in border areas.

Buni highlighted the state’s Intervention Resettlement Project (IRP), noting that five per cent of this year’s budget—equivalent to N1.56 billion—has been allocated to infrastructure and facilities to ensure the dignified resettlement of IDPs.

Beyond resettlement, the governor said his administration has invested in key sectors such as education, health, agriculture, water and power supplies, and roads to support the rehabilitation process alongside IOM and other development partners.

“I am happy this has worked out for us, and we do not have IDP camps in the state,” Buni remarked, emphasising that displaced persons have been resettled with dignity in compliance with the Kampala UN Convention.

Dimanche Sharon, IOM’s Chief of Mission in Nigeria, praised the governor for his dedication to adhering to the Kampala Convention on IDPs and refugees.

“It takes a leader with a special heart to show such great concern for the resettlement of displaced persons with dignity,” she said, reaffirming the UN agency’s commitment to improving living conditions for returnees in liberated communities.