By MOHAMMED MOMOH

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Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari has approved the purchase of $1 billion military hardware as part of his commitment to fight the Boko Haram jihadists.

He gave the approval at a meeting with the service chiefs, including the Defence minister, Brigadier General (Rtd) Mansur Dan-Ali.

Experts say the Nigerian military needs high technology equipment to deal decisively with the jihadists in the northeast.

Renounce Christianity

Brig Dan-Ali said the money was the same approved by the state governors to be withdrawn from the Excess Crude Account.

The meeting also discussed how to rescue Leah Sharibu, the last of the Dapchi schoolgirls still in Boko Haram captivity.

She remained in captivity because she refused to renounce Christianity.

The security chiefs also unveiled the plan for the return of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) to their homes in Borno, Adamawa and Yobe. Another 3,000 IDPs returned to their homes in Bama, Borno State on Tuesday.

The International Organisation for Migration (IOM) confirmed the return of the IDPs to their Bama origin with the assistance of the federal government.

IOM said the relocation followed the reopening of the Maiduguri-Bama-Banki road on March 24 by the Nigerian military after four years of its closure due to Boko Haram activities.

The road, which runs from Maiduguri through Konduga, Bama, Gwoza and also connects to the neighbouring Cameroon and Chad, was shut to commercial and public traffic in September 2014.

In a flash report, IOM said the return had increased the people in need of humanitarian assistance.

Due to insecurity

“Following the reopening of the road, about 3,000 IDPs of Bama origin at Dalori I and II Camps in Maiduguri were relocated to Bama town by the Government of Nigeria, on April 2, 2018.

“The population of people in need of humanitarian assistance has increased significantly due to the influx, and larger number of returnees are expected in the coming days/weeks.”

The UN migration agency further said Bama Local Government Area (LGA) had an IDP population of 49,139 from 14,064 households as per the Displacement Tracking Matrix Round XXI.

It explained that Bama is the LGA of origin for the largest number of 203,374 of IDPs in Borno and neighbouring states.

“Majority of the original population in Bama were displaced to other locations due to insecurity and inaccessibility,” it said.