More than 6,000 Nigerians have been displaced by activities of the Boko Haram Islamist sect in the North, United Nation High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has said.
In a report presented in New York by UNHCR spokesperson, Mr Adrian Edwards, the agency also identified Niger Republic as the popular destination of majority of the fleeing citizens.
“Those who have spoken to UNCHR say they fled for fear of being caught in the government-led crackdown on insurgents linked to the Boko Haram sect, particularly in the Baga area of northern Nigeria, close to the Niger border,” a part of the report stated.
“Refugees reported that air strikes by government forces are continuing from time to time, and that planes are regularly flying over the states of Borno, Yobe and Adamawa where the state of emergency has been in force since May 14th.”
He added that many of the displaced persons have expressed concerns about the rising wave of armed banditry in the country, as well as spiraling food hike and scarcity in the concerned region.
He revealed that a minimum of 6,240 people, majority of whom are Nigerians while others returning Nigeriens and other nationals, have recently entered Niger Republic. He added that while some of the arrivals have been renting houses or living with host families, others have been living in the open or under the trees. But he promised the agency’s intervention.
“UNHCR plans to deliver some relief to the new arrivals as well as to the host community,” he said. “We are also helping the local authorities to register new arrivals.”
In a related development, President of the Senate, David Mark has promised that the country’s terrorism challenge will soon be over, considering the success returns of the ongoing crackdown against insurgents in the states under President goodluck Jonathan’s state of emergency.
“The operation is being handled well and sooner than later, terrorism will soon become part of our history,” Mark said while addressing the Parliament of Czech Republic.
“We are conscious that fighting terror is difficult because of factors that dwell on human rights and collateral damages. But the operators of emergency that has been introduced in the area will bring terrorism to its end.
“This trend became escalated by the situation in Mali, Niger, Libya and Chad but the Federal Government tried to curtail this through appeal and other carrot approaches but this did not quite succeed until the introduction of emergency rule.”
Also on terrorism, Special Special representative (West Africa) of the United Nation Secretary-General, Mr Said Djinnit on Tuesday urged leaders of the West African sub-region to rev up their fight against terrorism.
Speaking during a courtesy call on Minister of State for Defence, Mrs Olusola Obada, Dninnit, who also chairs the Cameroon-Nigeria Mixed Commission warned of the consequences of terrorism for the rest of the country and called for a united fight.
“This should be a national effort,” he said. “Nigeria is putting its own effort but we need to mobilize the entire region to work together to address the root cause of the problem by addressing the concerns and challenges in a coordinated manner within the framework of the existing plan of action with ECOWAS, African Union and the UN.”
