FG commits to safe return of refugees to original homes

The Minister of Interior, Dr. Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, has reaffirmed the Federal Government’s commitment to ensuring the safe return of refugees to their original homes.

He provided this assurance while hosting the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) Representative in Nigeria, Mr. Arjun Jain, and his team on a courtesy visit to the Minister’s office in Abuja.

The activities of insurgents in the northeastern part of the country have displaced millions of Nigerians from their homes, including refugees who have fled to neighboring countries.

According to reports, over 3.9 million people have been displaced in Nigeria due to insurgency.

Approximately 2.1 million people are internally displaced within Nigeria, while over 280,000 refugees have fled to neighboring countries, including Cameroon, Chad, and Niger.

ALSO READ: FEC okays N250bn fund to address housing deficit, revitalise mortgage financing

A report by the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) indicated that over 1 million children have been displaced from their homes.

During the UNHCR Representative’s visit, the Minister assured his guest of the government’s commitment to facilitating the safe return of refugees and internally displaced persons to their original homes.

He emphasized that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda is not only aimed at supporting the strongest but also at caring for the most vulnerable in society, which, he stated, is the essence of government.

The Director of Press and Public Relations, Ozoya Imohimi, in a statement issued on Thursday in Abuja, quoted the Minister as saying that the Ministry seeks collaboration to pool resources and ensure the safe return of displaced individuals to their ancestral homes.

In his remarks, the UNHCR Representative in Nigeria, Arjun Jain, highlighted the need for collaboration between the Nigerian government and the UNHCR to facilitate the return of Nigerian refugees worldwide, displaced due to the activities of Boko Haram insurgents.

He further explained that there are over 120 million displaced people globally, with approximately 3 percent of them being Nigerians. In addition, there are displaced persons from Mali and Cameroon living in the northern parts of Nigeria.