Babagana Zulum, the governor of Borno State, has praised the Federal Government for resettling over 80,000 people who had been uprooted by the Boko Haram insurgency back to their original homes after the Victims Support Fund helped several difficult towns in the state regain calm. In a statement released on Saturday, this was made known.
At the commissioning of the finished perimeter fencing, housing, Askira Uba police station, and police barracks on Tuesday, Mustapha Gubio, the state's commissioner for reconstruction, rehabilitation, and resettlement, spoke on behalf of the governor and expressed his appreciation.
The police station and barracks at Askira Uba, which the insurgents had destroyed, were rebuilt thanks to the VSF's help.
Theophilus Danjuma, the Chairman of the VSF and a former Chief of the Army Staff, spoke at the event in person through the Executive Director of the VSF, Nana Tanko, and reaffirmed the VSF's commitment to helping victims of terrorism and insurgency in line with the Fund's mission.
She said that Danjuma gave his approval for the reconstruction of the perimeter fence surrounding the Askira Police Station and Police Barracks in Askira, Borno State, because he cared about the safety of insurgency victims and the welfare of the security forces.
She asked the intervention's beneficiaries, the Nigerian police, to properly utilise the facility in order to enhance their security efforts and protect the lives of Askira Uba inhabitants.
She explained that the mission of the VSF is to help people after the insurgency to rebuild lives and help in the early recovery of victims, adding, “That is why in the past, we have built several primary schools, supported children to go back to school, trained teachers to make sure that children are well taught, empowered women to rebuild their lives and supported farmers to go back to their farms in Askira.”
But commending the VSF over their post-insurgency recovery efforts, the commissioner, Gubio, said the VSF had supported the relocation of over 80,000 people to their ancestral homelands in 13 Local Government Areas of the state, noting that the action had helped in no small measure in ensuring that distressed communities are resettled.
“It is, therefore, safe to say that the VSF remains one of our earliest collaborators and strongest allies supporting our recovery drive and we remain very appreciative of the collaborative efforts,” Gubio added.