FG seeks protection for 65,000 Nigerian refugees

The Federal Government is seeking protection for 65,000 Nigerian refugees in Cameroun, the Minister of Interior, Lt Gen Abdulrahman Danbazzau, has said.


The minister said yesterday in Abuja that “the refugees who are mainly women and children are in various camps in Cameroun, while others are in Niger and Chad republics”.

Besides food items, they need the support of individuals, government institutions and the private sector, especially in the areas of education and health care, the minister added.

He said to secure the protection of the refugees, a tripartite agreement would soon be signed in Cameroun between Nigeria and Cameroun and the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCFR).

The minister, who made the remarks while receiving relief materials donated to the Federal Government by Huawei Technology Company, said there were over two million Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in various camps in the country and over 65,000 refugees outside the country.

He said majority of them were victims of insurgent activities of Boko Haram in the North-eastern part of the country, adding that the conditions of the refugees and the IDPs were so pathetic that they should not be left to the Federal Government alone.

“The Federal Government is making efforts to resettle the IDPs back in their various homes and communities. We are also taking measures to ensure that Nigerian refugees are protected outside the country. But we need the support of all well-meaning Nigerians to adequately address the challenges”, the minister stated.

In his remarks at the function, the Chinese Ambassador to Nigeria, Mr Zhou Pingjian, said Huawei Technology company was leveraging on the cordial relationship between Nigeria and China to provide succour for victims of insurgents in the North-east, stating that it was a gesture of China being a friend indeed to Nigeria at the period of its needs.

He said the International Community appreciates government efforts to restore peace and stability to the troubled north-east, promising that all necessary support would be accorded the government by the community to enable it succeeds.

The Deputy Managing Director of Huawei Technology Company, Mr Martin Zhong said the relief materials- 2,300 bags of rice, 200 cartoons of spaghetti, 200 cartoons of Macaroni, 60 bags of 50 kg beans and 50 jerrican of 20 litre vegetable oil- was a token of the company’s support for government efforts to address the problems of the IDPs.