By PATRICK ABANG, Calabar –
Following the conflict in Southern Cameroon, over 18,000 refugees are said to have invaded Cross River State in the Southern part of Nigeria.
The refugees are expected to go through a verification exercise organized by United Nation High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) in Calabar centre.
According to the Commission, the refugees who camped in different locations in Cross River State, were asked to come with their fact sheets and other relevant documents to be verified as a registered refugee.
The verification according to UNHCR is to improve its data on the economic capacities within the population, identify persons with specific needs and extremely vulnerable persons, and target them for lifesaving interventions, including food assistance, non-food items and livelihood support.
Udama Stephen, a Registered Mental Psychiatric Nurse, working with Red Cross Society, noted that “they are here basically to renew their identity card, that identity card serve as a tool that if they take it to anywhere, they’ll be recognized and the card is been issued by UNHCR.
“The statistics we gathered is that they’re up to 18,000 that will partake in this exercise, if they bring the card here, we treat them free of charge and if they have any complications beyond primary healthcare, we refer them to Teaching Hospital. Here is basically a primary healthcare so we deal with common sicknesses like malaria, typhoid, ulcer, cold, body pains etc, but if it’s beyond primary level we refer them to a more complex health facilities”, he said.
“Some of them are sick because they lack access to healthcare, some are physically challenge and majority of them don’t have a job, so the duty of UNHCR is to take care of their basic needs which includes their health need, nutrition, financial support, empowerment for the less privilege, basically for Cameroonian refugees in Cross River state”, he added.
An officer of the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS), who spoke anonymously to our correspondent, said the officers were present in the verification centre to provide security and to ensure that people who partake of the exercise were truly Cameroonians.
Also speaking to our correspondent, one of the refugees, Tamfu Theodoni, 35, from North-West Cameroon, a University Campus Driver, narrated his ordeal how his cousin, who was also a driver was shot in the head by Cameroon soldiers, which made him flee to Nigeria to find succour.
He prayed for peace and unity between the Francophone and Anglophone Cameroonians.
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