Katsina spends over N100m on resettlement of Shimfida IDPs, refugees in hometown

BY ANDY ASEMOTA, Katsina

The Katsina State Government has spent about N106.6m in managing the resettlement project of about 12,000 persons that fled Shimfida town, Jibia Local Government Area of the state, after terrorists invasion last March.

The amount was spent on installation of doors and Windows in devastated houses among other to provide accommodation for the Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) and refugees again in Shimfida which has remained a ghost town since the terrorists’ onslaught of 10th March, 2022.

The Chairman of Jibia Local Government, Alhaji Bishir Sabiu, made this known yesterday in Jibia, shortly after about 6,000 IDPs from Shimfida were relocated from Government Girls Secondary School, Jibia, to their town.

He explained that over 6,000 erstwhile residents of Shimfida, who were accommodated as refugees in some communities in neighbouring Niger Republic were also relocated from that country back to Jibia yesterday morning for their onward journey home.

Sabiu stated that besides about N88.6m expanded by the state on the accommodation for the victims of terrorism in Shimfida, the government also approved N18m for provision of drugs and logistics for the returnees and essential workers in the community.

He further explained that Governor Aminu Bello Masari of the state had received the assurance of President Muhammad Buhari’s approval of redeployment of military back to the community, saying the Shimfida was sacked last the military left the area.

Also speaking on the occasion, the chairman of Shimfida Youth Development Association, Sa’ad Salisu, commended the efforts of the state and local government in caring for the people, relocating and resettling them in their ancestral town.