Following the incessant killings by members of the Boko Haram Islamic sect, more than 470, 000 innocent Nigerians have relocated to neighbouring Cameroon, Chad and Niger, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has disclosed.
In a statement by the spokesperson of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, Adrian Edward, in New York, a copy of which was sent to NL yesterday, stressed the importance of protecting Nigerians coming in large number to seek asylum.
The latest attacks, according to the UN official, are reported to have begun in mid-February, adding that, in all, some 2,000 people had crossed into South-East Niger’s Diffa region over the past four weeks.
He said in addition to the attacks on Lake Chad, some of the new arrivals had come from areas near Borno State capital, Maiduguri, that have been affected by the continuous fighting.
The UNHCR appealed to Nigerian government to find lasting solutions to the killings with a view to securing future of the young and incoming generations.
He said, “The killings by members of Boko Haram have become unusual. I want to appeal to Nigerian government to save innocent Nigerians from this sect. There cannot be development where there is no peace.”