The Executive Secretary, Adamawa State Emergency Management Agency, Muhammad Suleiman, on Tuesday disclosed that about 4,000 Nigerian refugees in Cameroon have refused to return to the country, out of fear for their safety.
He made the disclosure while announcing the re-integration of 133 refugees of Adamawa State origin who voluntarily returned from Cameroon to their homes in Madagali and Mubi.
He said “the repatriation of the other 4,000 refugees might have been stalled over the refusal of the refugees to voluntarily want to return for fear of their safety.
“As a result, we have halted the repatriation of the refugees, which is in keeping with the convention that the return of the refugees must be voluntary.”
Suleiman, however, expressed the hope that the smooth re-integration of the 133 would help to convince the others that there was no reason to fear.
“It is hoped that the example of the batch of 133 returnees will serve as an attraction for the 4,000 others to return,” he said.
