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General News of Monday, 16 August 2021

Source: www.mynigeria.com

Lawmaker in tears after seeing thousand of constituents in refugee camps

A member of the Sokoto State House of Assembly in tears after visiting a refugee camp A member of the Sokoto State House of Assembly in tears after visiting a refugee camp

A member of the Sokoto State House of Assembly shed tears after seeing thousands of his constituents living in the neighbouring Niger Republic as refugees.

The lawmaker cried at the sad state of his constituents during a visit to an internally displaced persons' camp in the neighbouring country.

They were reported to have lost their homes, properties and livelihoods due to the activities of bandits.

Trending images showed the lawmaker in an emotional state.

Several states in the North have been at the mercy of Boko Haram insurgents since the terrorist organisation first struck in 2009.

According to a December 2020 report by UNHCR, the group has displaced nearly 2.4 million people in the Lake Chad Basin.

According to the report, Nigerian refugees totaled about 304,562 while there are about over 2.1 million internally displaced in Nigeria

Meanwhile, the UNHCR spokesperson, Babar Baloch, at a press briefing at the Palais des Nations in Geneva, said since April 2019, 25 percent of the refugees who fled from relentless attacks by armed groups came from Sokoto, Zamfara, and Katsina states of Nigeria, according to Sahara Reporters.

Baloch said many of them have sought refuge in Maradi, the second-largest city in Niger.

He said as a result of insecurity at the border region in Nigeria, an additional 19,000 Niger nationals have become displaced inside their own country.

The official also said the humanitarian agency is concerned about the influx of the refugees, “mainly desperate women and children, following the deteriorating security and attacks inside Nigeria’s Katsina, Sokoto and Zamfara states, also the risk of armed incursions spilling over into Niger.”