Nigeria has over two million displaced persons, says UNHR official

The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees to Nigeria and ECOWAS, Angele Dikongue- Atangana has stated that the number of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in Nigeria due to insurgency is 2.09 million.

Atangana also said the latest displacement tracking matrix report of August 2016 placed Benue State as having only about 30,000 displaced persons, while in April the number was as high as 106,074.

She made this disclosure at the weekend during the handover and commissioning of Daudu Shelter Project for displaced persons in Guma local council of the state.

She said the decline in the number recorded earlier in the year represented the concerted efforts of the state government and other concerned groups in addressing the challenge.

“Taking an average of monthly figure from April to August 2016, outside of the North East of Nigeria, Benue has the highest number of IDPs. Twelve out of 23 councils in the state had suffered or are suffering from varying impacts of displacement,” he said.

She revealed that available records had shown that from 2013 to August 2016, Benue had experienced between 60 and 65 attacks by herdsmen. She described this development as alarming, adding that this year over 200 persons were killed in Agatu council from these attacks.

Atangana stressed that UNHCR had been working with Benue State since 2007 when Camerounian refugees were settled at Ityav in Kwande.

The high commissioner explained that one of the objectives of providing these amenities was to assist the displaced persons to be reintegrated into the society.