The National Commission for Refugee, Migrants and Internally Displaced Persons (NCFRMI) has said that over 73,000 Cameroonian refugees are registered in Nigeria.
NCFRMI federal commissioner, Imaan Sulaiman-Ibrahim, stated this on Wednesday in a remark during a two-day workshop on the identification of combatants among Cameroonian refugees and asylum seekers held in Abuja.
She said “The political crisis in Cameroon has lingered unabated since 2016 and has occasioned gross human rights violations, wanton loss of lives and properties, especially in the two regions of Northwest and Southwest of Cameroon.
“One significant outcome of the conflict is that it has spiked emigration of Cameroonians to Nigeria as refugees. About 73,000 refugees have registered in Nigeria as of June 2021.
“Meanwhile, an average of 300 Cameroonian refugees come into Nigeria every week.”
The commissioner stressed the need to guard all refugee camps from combatants and fighters, warning that if migration of Cameroonian refugees was not properly checked and coordinated, it could lead to a compromise of Nigeria’s security.
“As we are all aware, seeking asylum is an inherently peaceful process with a civilian and humanitarian character. Military activity is incompatible with it, therefore, persons who pursue such motives in a country of asylum cannot be regarded as asylum-seekers or refugees,” she said.
