FG, UNHCR, to repatriate 20,000 Nigerians from Chad, Cameroon

The Federal Government, in partnership with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), has said that plans are underway to repatriate 20,000 Nigerians from the Republics of Chad and Cameroon.

Federal Commissioner of the National Commission for Refugee, Migrants and Internally Displaced Persons, (NCFRMI), Tijani Ahmed, made this known at a media briefing yesterday in Abuja after a Technical Working Group (TWG) meeting on voluntary repatriation of Nigerian refugees.

He said 6,000 Nigerians from Chad and 14,000 from Cameroon, totaling 3,000 households, would be repatriated in the next two months.

The commission revealed that in 2023, the Federal Government procured food and non-food items worth N2 billion as a package for the refugees.

The federal commissioner pointed out that the government is intensifying efforts to ensure the safe repatriation of all Nigerians willing to come back home in line with international standards.

The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and Deputy Representative (Protection), Bernadette Muteshi, commended the Nigerian government for taking the lead in the repatriation exercise.

She said: “We are happy to see the government’s leadership in this endeavour. We are happy to note that the voices of Nigerians, who want to return, have been heard and acted upon.

“We will try to ensure that this process happens as soon as practically feasible by putting all elements together, and we hope to support a credible process.

“We want to ensure that the basic human rights of these people are observed and upheld, and we hope that all arrangements can be in place to meet the aspirations of people that we care for.”