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UNHCR: About 7m persons forcefully displaced in West African… Nigeria hosts higher number of over 3.5m

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UNHCR: About 7m persons forcefully displaced in West African
… Nigeria hosts higher number of over 3.5m

By: Michael Mike

The United United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has emphasized the need for the protection of refugee, lamenting that no fewer than 6,976,470 million persons have been forcibly displaced due to conflicts and violence within the ECOWAS sub-region.

The United Nations Refugee Agency, noted that of the total displaced persons, 624,124 are listed refugees seeking asylum.

Also included in the figure is 6,352,346 internally displaced persons (IDPs).

UNHCR revealed that Nigeria and Burkina Faso are currently hosting the largest populations of displaced individuals, with 3,578,996 and 2,062,534 people respectively, with Niger currently accommodating the largest refugee population, totalling 325,419 individuals.

The was revealed by the Director of UNHCR Regional Bureau for West and Central Africa, Mr. Abdouraouf Gnon-Konde during the signing of a revised Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between UNHCR and the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Commission aimed at protecting the rights of refugees in the West African subregion

The revised MOU, which was initially signed between the two institutions in 2001, now adds new areas of collaboration, such as the identification and protection of refugees found in risky migration movements, statelessness, emergency management, and long-term solutions to forcible displacements.

Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) with the signing of the revised MOU have reached an agreement to enhance their cooperation in safeguarding the rights and well-being of refugees, stateless individuals, and internally displaced persons within the region.

The agreement was based on a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) that was signed between the President of the ECOWAS Commission, H.E Dr Omar Alieu Touray, and the Director of UNHCR Regional Bureau for West and Central Africa, Mr. Abdouraouf Gnon-Konde.

Touray outlined some of the ECOWAS Commission’s initiatives to address the political and humanitarian crises in the region and said the organisation’s member states are assiduously working to address the underlying causes of the conflicts in the area through diplomatic and political engagements. The ECOWAS President expressed confidence in the Commission’s continued efforts in these areas to produce fruitful results.

Mr. Gnon-Konde, on his part said there is an ongoing occurrence of violent conflicts, disasters, and insecurity in various countries.

This, he said has forcefully compelled a number of individuals to leave their residences, both within the sub-region and beyond.

He therefore described UNHCR’s collaboration with the ECOWAS Commission as long-lasting, highly productive, and relevant in view of the current humanitarian context confronting the sub-region.

He noted that UNHCR also collaborates closely with other ECOWAS institutions, especially with the ECOWAS Court of Justice and the ECOWAS Parliament, with which UNHCR has previously signed distinct MOUs to address forcible displacement issues within the ECOWAS sub-region, building on the specific mandates of each of these institutions.

UNHCR: About 7m persons forcefully displaced in West African
… Nigeria hosts higher number of over 3.5m

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Armed robbery foiled by Bauchi Police, three suspects arrested in Bauchi

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Armed robbery foiled by Bauchi Police, three suspects arrested in Bauchi

By: Zagazola Makama

Three persons were arrested following a foiled armed robbery along the Bauchi–Gombe Federal Highway in Kirfi Local Government Area of Bauchi State on Jan. 26.

Sources said the incident occurred at about 12:16 a.m. when armed robbers blocked the road near Kalajanga Hamlet via Bara Village.

Officers on routine patrol responded promptly, engaging the hoodlums and forcing them to abandon their operation and flee into the surrounding bush.

The trail of the robbers led authorities to the house of one Nasiru Ibrahim of Saddiya Hamlet, where two of his children, Isya Nasiru, 20, and Umar Nasiru, 18, were also arrested in connection with the case.

Recovered items included two sticks, a touch light, three bags, a local bullet-proof shirt, face masks, two pairs of shoes, an Oppo android phone, and several local charms.

Sources say Investigations are ongoing.

Armed robbery foiled by Bauchi Police, three suspects arrested in Bauchi

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Four killed, 15 injured in lone motor accident on Ibadan–Oyo Expressway

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Four killed, 15 injured in lone motor accident on Ibadan–Oyo Expressway

By: Zagazola Makama

Four people were killed and fifteen others injured in a lone motor accident involving a Glynlyon truck along the Ibadan–Oyo Expressway on Jan. 26.

Sources said the truck, with registration number LSD 221 YM, was coming from Kebbi State to Ogun State, carrying rocky stones as well as 23 passengers seated on the stones at the back of the vehicle.

The driver, identified as Muhammed Jibril of Adamawa State, reportedly lost control of the vehicle after hitting a pothole in the Fiditi area, causing the truck to overturn.

The heavy stones reportedly fell on the passengers, killing four instantly, while fifteen others sustained varying degrees of injuries.

The injured were rushed to General Hospital Oyo for treatment, and the bodies of the deceased were evacuated to the hospital mortuary for preservation and autopsy.

Four killed, 15 injured in lone motor accident on Ibadan–Oyo Expressway

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Six people abducted by armed bandits in Maru, Zamfara State

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Six people abducted by armed bandits in Maru, Zamfara State

By: Zagazola Makama

Suspected armed bandits on Jan. 25 abducted six people at gunpoint in Tauji village, Kanoma District of Maru Local Government Area, Zamfara State, while the victims were observing Isha’i prayers.

Sources said one of the victims has been identified as Yahuza Mikailu, 40, while the identities of the remaining five are yet to be confirmed.

The abductors reportedly took the victims to an unknown location.

Efforts are ongoing by security operatives to track the bandits, rescue the victims, and apprehend the perpetrators.

Six people abducted by armed bandits in Maru, Zamfara State

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