57,000 Nigerian refugees in Cameroon, Chad, Niger – NEMA

A total of 57,743 Nigerians are living as refugees in various camps in the Republics of Cameroon, Chad and Niger, the National Emergency Management Agency has said.

According to NEMA, the Nigerian refugees live in eight different camps in Cameroon, four in Niger and in two locations where they take shelter in Chad.

The agency’s Director-General, Mr. Sani Sidi, disclosed this at the African Union Regional Consultative meeting for West Africa which focused on the development of a common African position on the World Humanitarian Summit held in Abuja.

Sidi, in a statement from NEMA on Sunday, explained that there were about 57,743 Nigerian refugees in Cameroun, Chad and Niger.

He said Cameroun had 40,366 Nigerian refugees, adding that the displaced persons were taking refuge in Minawayo, Mora, Fotocol, Limani, Amchide, Douala, Kentzou and Garoua Bouali refugee camps.

He said 15,000 refugees in the Republic of Niger were taking refuge in Diffa, Bosso, Maine and Kablewa, while 2,377 in Chad were taking shelter in Ngouboua, Lake Chadi region.

The DG decried how about 12,000 Nigerian refugees were expelled by the Cameroonian authorities and dumped at the border while UNHCR was watching.

“I expressed my concern to UNHCR when Nigerian delegation went to Chad, Niger and Cameroun for assessment of the condition of Nigerian Refugees, which was misconstrued as forceful evacuation by UNHCR,” Sidi reportedly said.



The NEMA boss, however, noted that the liberation of most of the communities in the North-East from the occupation of Boko Haram insurgents, coupled with the massive return of Nigerians from the Republics of Cameroun and Niger had changed the humanitarian outlook from emergency relief intervention to rehabilitation, reconstruction and recovery of the affected persons and communities.

He said the agency, in collaboration with State Emergency Management Agencies, with the support of the UN System, had undertaken damage and loss assessment of the affected communities in Borno, Yobe and Adamawa States and had made submission to the Federal Government for appropriate intervention by line ministries, departments and agencies.

Sidi noted that the humanitarian outcome of the insurgency had equally impacted the contiguous states of Gombe, Bauchi, Plateau and Taraba and the neighboring Republics of Niger, Chad and Cameroun.