The over 120, 000 refugees in Cameroon have pleaded with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to return them to their ancestral homes in Borno State.
The call was made in a letter to Tinubu by President of the Nigerian Refugees in Cameroon, Luka Isaac.
According to him, the refugees are from Gwoza East Local Council of the state, comprising 21 communities that included Arganjara, Agapalawa, Amuda, and 15 other villages in the border areas with Cameroon.
Isaac, while lamenting the living conditions of the refugees at the Minawao Internally-Displaced Persons (IDPs) camp, said: “We cannot return to our communities because of the continuous occupation of our ancestral homes by Boko Haram terrorists since 2013.
The refugees also pleaded with the Federal Government and National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) to pay adequate compensations to them, as well as the general damages of their property in Gwoza Local Council.
Isaac noted that the refugees’ return to Nigeria would not only save them from harassment and dehumanisation but redeem the image of the Federal Government from the international community.
The refugees, comprising mainly women and children, said: “The security situation in Gwoza East Council must be improved with the deployment of more soldiers and fighting equipment.
“Besides improved security, IDP camps must be established with infrastructural facilities, water supply, education and healthcare delivery services.”
