There was wild celebration at the Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) camps in Adamawa State on Tuesday following the donation of cows by the Borno government and NEMA for the celebration of the Eid-el Kabir.

Announcing the donations at Fufore and Damare camps near Yola, the Chairman of Kala-Balge Local Government of Borno, Alhaji Babagana Malarima, and his Gamboru-Ngala counterpart, Alhaji Abdulrahman Abdulkarim, said the gesture was to give the IDPs a sense of inclusion during the festival.

Malarima told the IDPs, “The gesture was directed by Gov. Shettima of Borno and it is to make you feel at home.”

Malarima also told the IDPs at Fufore Camp that Shettima had directed chairmen of local governments in Borno, whose areas had been affected by the insurgency and whose people were in the Yola camps, to celebrate with them.

“We are here to see and assess your condition and prepare on how you will all be evacuated to Maiduguri after the festive period.”

Abdulkarim, on his part, lauded the military for recapturing Gamboru and urged the people to continue to keep hope alive for possible return to their homes “within the shortest possible time.”

Speaking on the preparations for the Sallah, the NEMA Coordinator of the camps, Mr. Saad Bello, said that the agency had made preparations to ensure that the IDPs marked the festival in a fitting manner.

Bello said that the agency had provided cows to be slaughtered for the celebration.

He also said that there were no fewer than 6,000 IDPs in the camps, with most of them from Borno, and expected to be evacuated to Maiduguri after the Sallah. (NAN)

•Photo shows Gov. Shettima

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