Many residents of Damaturu,? who fled after the bombings that rocked the state capital last year,? have started returning? home.
It is also observed that business activities were gradually picking up in the troubled capital.
A drive around the town revealed that shops and business centers, which were closed down about three months ago, were re-opening for business.
Mr Emma Chuks, a motor spare parts dealer, said that he returned to Damaturu “now that there is relative peace with increased security operatives across the state.
“I left my family in the East to further study the situation here before bringing them back.
“But I am happy that normalcy is gradually returning.”
Bukar Mallum, a motor mechanic, said: “we experienced shortage of spare parts when the dealers left and, the few who stayed back, were selling at very expensive prices”.
However, most of the bookshops, building materials' stores and furniture shops which were closed in the wake of the disturbance, have also reopened.
Similarly, life has returned to the hitherto deserted “Bayan Tasha” textile shops with some of the textile merchants opening their stores for business.
?However, the residents still contend with the scarcity of soup ingredients, including cray fish, food seasonings, vegetable leaves, ‘ogbono’, and stock fish, normally sold by traders from the Eastern part of the country.
A house wife who pleaded for anonymity, said she had to send for ‘Ugu’ leaves (fluted pumpkin), stock fish, cray fish and? ‘Ogbono’ in Jos.
“We pray this trouble will soon be over for us to once again be able to live normal life.”