Festus Akanbi
The United Nations High Commission for Refugees has raised the alarm over the rising cases of displacement in Nigeria caused by escalating insecurity in the country.
The agency said it was struggling to respond adequately to the growing humanitarian needs arising from the displacement, noting that it was “chronically underfunded.”
The UNHCR Representative to Nigeria, Ms Chansa Kapaya, who spoke at the launch of the Zakat Fund in Abuja on Thursday, pointed out that more Nigerians were being forced to leave their homes as cases of insecurity escalate in Nigeria.
Kapaya stated: “We are witnessing a growing level of internal displacement within Nigeria. While the relentless violence by the non-state armed groups in North-East Nigeria continues to cause mass suffering and displacement in the region, we are also concerned about the critically evolving situation in North-West Nigeria, where violence and banditry are aggravating communities, forcing families to flee their homes.”