57,000 Nigerians Now Refugees, Half a million Displaced Sequel to Boko Haram Rampage

According to a report by the United Nations, about 57,000 Nigerians may have fled to neighbouring countries such as Cameroon, Chad and Niger due to the Boko Haram onslaught and the declaration of a state of emergency in the hotbeds insurgency/terrorism in North East Nigeria.

The United Nation's report also suggests that about half a million people have been internally displaced in the country which it described as a very alarming situation.
Spokesperson of the United Nations High Commission for Refugees, UNHCR, Mr Adrian Edwards, who spoke with reporters in Geneva said of 57,000 people who fled Nigeria, 17,000 are registered as Nigerians while the rest are nationals from neighbouring countries who have been living in Nigeria for ages.

He disclosed that Niger received the majority — some 40,000 concentrated in the Diffa region, a desert in the country’s eastern edge. Mr. Edwards fears that many of those fleeing North-Eastern Nigeria are traumatized and left with very few possessions, adding that besides the Lake Chad area, some of the new arrivals are from the Borno State capital, Maiduguri.

Mr. Edwards recounted that the UNHCR reiterates to all parties to the conflict in north‑eastern Nigeria, the vital importance of protecting civilians from harm.
He said the UNHCR was working with partners, including the International Rescue Committee, the governments of the neighbouring countries, to try and ensure that countries keep their borders open and also ensure that they help people on arrival.