Nigerian Refugees in Cameroon to return home soon

The Nigerian Vice President, Yemi Osinbajo has said the federal government will soon make an arrangement for the return of Nigerian refugees in Chad, Cameroon and Niger.

While declaring open, the 'Ministerial meeting on protection in the Lake Chad Basin', Osinbajo said the fleeing of hundreds of thousands of refugees and Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) from Boko Haram gave rise to protection and humanitarian problems.

"The problem is further compounded by the large influx of Nigerian refugees to the neighbouring countries and the attendant protection and human right issues arising therefrom," he said.

According to United Nations High Commissioner on Refugees (UNHCR), there were 82, 524 Nigerian refugees in Niger Republic alone.

After repatriating 80, 000 to Nigeria earlier, there are still 65, 089 Nigerian refugees left in Cameroon while another 7,337 are in refugee camps in Chad.

While thanking Niger, Cameroon and Chad for receiving and hosting Nigerian refugees in their country, Osinbajo assured that "Nigeria will make necessary arrangements for the return of those who fled to neighbouring countries as soon as modalities for the exercise is jointly agreed by all."

Meanwhile, the United Nations Assistant Secretary-General and Regional Humanitarian Coordinator for the Sahel, Mr. Toby Lanzer has warned that some IDPs and refugees may not be willing to return to their homes.

While speaking at the occasion, he noted that Maiduguri for example has grown from a city of one million to 2.1 million people because of influx of people from neighbouring towns and villages, stressing that governments of the four countries must begin to plan for demographic growths.

Lanzer who lamented that from the 20 million people in the Lake Chad region, 9 million of them were displaced while an average of 5 million of them will go to bed hungry every night, called for more actions from the Lake Chad countries against extreme poverty.