Bill Gates foundation donates $1m to Borno IDPs

The Melinda and Bill Gates Foundation have given the Borno State government a grant of 1 million Dollars, meant for resettling the Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in Borno State.

The foundation is aimed at targeting displaced victims of insurgency ready to return to their ancestral homes.

The intervention was released through the Rebuilding and Reconstruction Ministry of the State, constituted for resettling the IDPs.

Governor Kashim Shettima flagged off distribution of food items in Mainok town where locals are already returning in large numbers.

Nearly two million people, dislodged from their home towns, in remote parts of Borno State by insurgency, had found temporary shelter in the capital city and safer havens in nearby states.

The recent military successes and recapture of some of the troubled towns has paved way for locals to return to their home towns.

Residents of Mainok town in Kaga Local Government Area are happy to return home after nearly two years sojourn in makeshift camps.

Governor Kashim Shettima said aside food items farmlands have been procured in the first phase of the intervention, to enable the IDPS continue with their lifestyles.

One of the IDPs, Halimatu Ali in appreciation said, “We are grateful, we have never received any kind of help since we returned, we only hear about it until today. We thank Bill and we pray for him.”

Child soldiers brandishing Dane guns and unconventional weapons is a common sight in Mainok, even as the Civilian JTF leave nothing to chance in their quest to totally rid the town of criminals.

From their experiences with remnants of the insurgents since their return, they are requesting equipment and vehicles to boost the complementary roles with the military.

A member of the CJTF, Umar Mustapha said “We the Civilian JTF always go round on patrol and interrogate suspicious people around, we have made several arrests and handed the criminals to the military. If we had vehicles, we can even go after them in the bush.”

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Mainok, barely 70 kilometers to Maiduguri has been a stronghold for the Boko Haram insurgents from where they attack travellers, shutting Maiduguri from other parts of the country until early last year when they were dislodged.