IDPs willing to return to their communities – PCNI

Alhaji Tijani Tumsah, Vice Chairman, Presidential Committee on the North East Initiative (PCNI) has said that Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) across the country are willing to return to their communities.

Tumsah made this known on Thursday in Abuja during the monthly coordination meeting of the PCNI with the theme “Defining an effective return strategy for the North East’’.

According to Tumsah, a good number of the displaced persons are ready to return to a more secure environment, adding that the military are making great efforts in securing the region.

“A substantial number of them want to go back and they want to go back into a secured environment.

“The military in Nigeria are doing very well. They have recovered quite a few areas and after the recovery of those areas, those areas have become stable.

“What I will encourage them to do is to continue to work with us in providing for us, safe areas for return.

“So that people who are willing to go back to their communities are able to do so as soon as possible,” Tumsah said

He said that the September edition of the coordination meeting discussed possible strategies toward returning the IDPs to their respective communities.

Tumsah said that stakeholders would also discuss matters related to the safe, voluntary and dignified return of the displaced population of the Northeast.

He said that the PCNI was also making efforts in resettling IDPs and refugees toward post-conflict stabilization.

The Vice Chairman said that the PCNI was also helping communities in the North East to become more resilient.