Bakassi's internally displaced persons anticipate a return home

Refugees at the internally displaced persons camp at Bakassi in Maiduguri, northern Nigeria could soon be heading back home.

This follows the recovery by the Nigerian army of most of the territories in the northern part lost to the Islamist militant group, Boko Haram during the group’s five-year insurgency.

The displaced persons are both excited and anxious about the idea of a return to their homes. For now though, they await word from the army about the security situation back home.

The Bakassi camp has played host to about 13,000 displaced people who are all trying to survive amid food shortages which is increasing the tension in the camp.

That is one of the reasons why many of the displaced people are anxiously looking forward to returning home where they can work and farm for themselves.

The population of Maiduguri has over the past few years shot up to around 4 million people as it has become the safe haven for many displaced persons.

The remote northeastern part of Nigeria has been a target of Boko Haram militants, who have in recent months reverted to hit-and-run attacks on villages and bombings of places of worship and markets.

Some analysts believe Boko Haram is the most lethal militant group in the world especially after it attracted global attention for kidnapping more than 200 schoolgirls from the government secondary school in Chibok in 2014.