Recycled Trauma: Why Borno’s IDP camp closures put returnees in Harm’s Way

Borno State remains the epicentre of Nigeria’s Boko Haram Terrorism and displacement crisis. The 2025 humanitarian planning baseline places the caseload of the Borno, Adamawa and Yobe (BAY) States at about 1.8 million internally displaced persons (IDPs) and 1.4 million returnees, with Borno hosting the majority and their needs remaining the most severe. In this context, the Borno State Government’s policy of closing more than 60 formal IDP camps and accelerating returns since 2021 has become one of the most consequential drivers of movement in the state.

The policy is implemented under the state’s Reconstruct, Rehabilitate and Resettle (RRR) pillar of its broader stabilisation and development strategy launched by Governor Babagana Zulum. While officials frame camp closures as a pathway to dignity and durable solutions, independent assessments and reporting show that many returns are happening ahead of minimum safety, service, and livelihood conditions, creating a predictable cycle of secondary displacement and renewed harm.