About 2,043 Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) have left the Bakassi Camp for their various  homes in Guzamala Local Government Area of Borno State, the Nigerian Army announced on Tuesday.

IDPs comprising of 378 households were the first batch of people who willingly expressed desire to return to their communities and resume farming, fishing and other social cultural activities.

The resettlement exercise according to a statement issued by the spokesman, Operation Lafiya Dole, Col. Onyema Nwachukwu, was flagged on in Maiduguri, the state capital.

Nwachukwu revealed that modalities for return of the IDPs to their homes were worked out by the army, Borno State Government and Guzamala LGA.

At the flag-off, the Theatre Commander of Operation Lafiya Dole, Maj.-Gen. Rogers Nicholas, stated that the earnest desire of the Chief of Army Staff, Lt.-Gen. Tukur Buratai, was to ensure that IDPs who are willing, return home to begin a normal life.

Asuring the returnees of adequate security, Gen. Nicholas said that the military has reinforced security in the locality and that the traditional farm clearing (sharandaji) to declare the farming season open has been earlier conducted in Gudumbali.

He also announced that Operation Last Hold has been inaugurated in the theatre to cover the locality and other communities for adequate security..

The Theatre Commander also urged well- meaning Nigerians and Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) to support returnee IDPs with farming implements and other relief materials to enable them settle back quickly into their respective communities.