The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) Wednesday said it has registered a total of 262,809 refugee returnees as well as 56,602 households between August 2015 to April 2017.
The UNHCR Representative to Nigeria and ECOWAS Mr. Antonio Jose Canhandula disclosed this while speaking at the opening ceremony of the organisation’s workshop on the protection of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) on Wednesday in Abuja.
He said the high number of returnees notwithstanding, there were still over 250,000 displaced Nigerians across neighbouring countries of Cameroon, Chad and Niger Republic.
Mr. Canhandula also said 2.1 million people fled their homes at the height of the conflict in the Northeast with 1.8 million of that number currently internally displaced.
He noted that the workshop was being staged to find ways of providing physical security, free movement and access to justice and social services for the IDPs.
The UNHCR Representative to Nigeria added that the three-day workshop will focus on issues directly affecting authorities’ ability to effectively respond to IDP needs.
Join Daily Trust WhatsApp Community For Quick Access To News and Happenings Around You.
