Boko Haram: Cameroun deports 100,000 Nigerian refugees

–  United Nations (UN) refugee agency not to return anyone to north-eastern Nigeria

– Cameroonian military torture and abuse of Nigerian refugees driven by decision to punish them – HRW

By Saminu Ibrahim Abuja

Cameroon has deported 100,000 Nigerian refugees to the north-eastern part of the country, in the hope of taming the spread of terrorist Boko Haram to their country, Human Rights Watch news release stated yesterday.

According to the release, the deportation defi ed a plea by the United Nations (UN) refugee agency not to return anyone to north-eastern Nigeria, where Boko Haram killed thousands of people, until security and human rights situation improved.

Th e organisation observed that the report was based on interviews with more than 60 refugees, adding that the deported people were likely to face new violence, displacement and destitution.

Human Right Watch, which investigates allegations of human rights abuses worldwide, however, stressed that soldiers tortured, assaulted and sexually exploited Nigerian asylum seekers and denied them access to the UN refugee agency.

According to HRW associate Director, Gerry Simpson, “Cameroonian military torture and abuse of Nigerian refugees seems to be driven by an arbitrary decision to punish them for Boko Haram attacks in Cameroon and to discourage Nigerians from seeking asylum”.

Th e rights group also claimed that the deported, often violently, tens of thousands of the refugees since early 2015.

 

Badaru launches second term campaign offi ce Bayo Alabira Dutse Jigawa state governor, Mohammed Badaru Abubakar, yesterday, declared his second term bid, tagged ‘4+4 supporters offi ce’ in Dutse, the Jigawa state capital.

Badaru, who was represented by Alhaji Isa Gerawa, said God willing, the governor deserved another four years after his fi rst productive tenure, adding that the signifi cant of the offi ce could neither be quantifi ed nor measured, explaining that the offi ce was meant to facilitate the processes and strategies that would unveil all the methods to be used to showcase the activities of Badaru’s government.

Also the state chairman the All Progressives Congress (APC), Ado Sani Kiri, used the occasion to congratulate the people of the state for accepting the present administration’s agenda on agriculture.

Kiri explained that Jigawa state has been outstanding in the area of agriculture since the ruling party came to power in 2015, pointing out that Budaru’s government was the best in the country, in terms of agricultural programmes.

He further appealed to party’s supporters to exercise patience, as very soon, they would reap more dividends of democracy, adding that the government was concentrating on developing the state through agriculture and other potentials in the state.

Dignitaries that graced the 4+4 offi ce included the Political Adviser to the governor, Alhaji Yahaya Bigman, local government chairmen from the st

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