7,300 Nigerians Leave Nigeria For Boko Haram

With Boko Haram attacks intensifying in Nigeria’s north east, about 7,300 Nigerian refugees had fled to Chad in the past 10 days.

A United Nations spokesperson, Farthan Haq, said this on Saturday, while addressing newsmen in Abuja.

According to him, the newly arrived refugees in Chad are staying with local communities in villages some 450 kilometers northwest of the Chadian capital, Ndjamena.

“The UN refugee agency teams in Chad are at the border and seeking more information on the new arrivals and their needs,” Haq said, adding that there are over 10,000 Nigerian refugees in Chad now.

Haq said that the Chadian government had requested the assistance of aid agencies to help the refugees.

The UN spokesman said that the conflict in northeastern Nigeria has led to the exodus of some 135,000 people, with “at least 850, 000 people displaced within Nigeria.”