The Federal Government has dismissed rumours making the rounds of plans to transfer Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) from the northern part of the country to the Southeast.
This was disclosed by the Federal Commissioner of the National Commission for Refugees, Migrants and Internally Displaced Persons (NCFRMI), Tijani Aliyu Ahmed, during a press conference in Abuja on Tuesday.
Rumours of the relocation of the IDP’s have been rift in Imo State following the visit of the NCFRMI team to the State.
The team had visited the premises of the National Open University Centre in Nsu Ehime Mbano Local Government Area, for the establishment of a skills acquisition centre.
According to reports, the centre is aimed at training persons of concern and youth from the five Southeastern States.
Recall that last week, unknown persons built the house of former Senator Frank Ibezim, alongside the building of the National Open University of Nigeria, NOUN.
Ibezim, it was said, facilitated the visit and accompanied the team to the area.
However, speaking on the development, Ahmed said there was no iota of truth in the rumour.
He said, “We want to categorically state that the NCFRMI’s intervention in Imo State and the entire Southeast has no political motives.
“It does not in any way intend to bring IDPs from the northern part of Nigeria to reside in the Southeast.
“The Commission equally wants to state that no money was given to any person or persons for the purpose of utilizing the facility as it belongs to the government.
“The proposed establishment of the skills acquisition centre is purely a humanitarian initiative, designed to serve as a critical resource. It will provide training in areas such as vocational skills, entrepreneurship, and capacity building.
“These programmes will benefit displaced persons, returnee migrants, refugees, and other vulnerable groups. This is irrespective of their political affiliation, ethnicity, or religious inclination within the Southeast region.
“We deeply regret the misrepresentation of information by the media that led to the unwarranted unrest and the destruction of properties by some unscrupulous elements,” Ahmed said.
The Commissioner noted that out of the over six million people facing displacement in Nigeria, a significant number reside in the Southeast. Where entire communities have been displaced due to ecological challenges such as erosion, landslides, and other forms of environmental degradation.
Ahmed stated that in 2024 alone, the Commission facilitated the return of 4,550 stranded migrants. With no fewer than 30 per cent of them originating from the Southeast.
He said, “Additionally, the region hosts approximately 500 non-Nigerian nationals currently seeking asylum as refugees in Nigeria. This group belongs to the subset of the population referred to as persons of concern to the Commission.”
source: Daily Trust
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