Three Countries to Repatriate 500,000 Nigerians
The Federal Commissioner, National Commission for Refugees Migrants and Internally Displaced Persons, Ms Imaan Suleiman-Ibrahim, has disclosed that 500,000 Nigerians are awaiting repatriation in three countries.
Suleiman-Ibrahim spoke in New York at the 77th session of UN General Assembly noted that the refugees would be repatriated from Niger, Chad and Cameroon.
She disclosed this on the sidelines of the High-Level Side Event on “Strengthening Resilience and Sustaining Development: A Humanitarian Development Peace Approach to Leaving No-one Behind.’’
“We have almost about 500,000 awaiting repatriation. The next batch will consist of 1,000 people and it is spontaneous returns that is happening now, and we are looking after them as they come back,’’ the commissioner said.
According to her, there is a Presidential Committee on Repatriation in the North -East and the committee is to complements the Technical Working Group on repatriation, which is chaired by the Commission.
“It is a process that has been ongoing, and we have started repatriation, we are experiencing involuntary returns from Nigerians in those countries.
“So, it’s going to happen before the end of Mr President’s tenure. We would have brought everybody back home and there is funding allocated for us.”
