Four days after Cameroon expelled about 2,000 Nigerians residing in the country without permit, 3,000 Nigerians have been sent back home.
According to Midjiyawa Bakary, governor of Cameroon’s far north region, those deported on Tuesday claimed to be refugees but were not staying at camps and lacked identification papers.
“In the different villages, there is a certain population of foreigners and they are hiding behind some Cameroonians who are hiding those Boko Haram suspects,” he said.
The deportees were driven to the town of Mubi in Adamawa state.
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The United Nations refugee agency says a camp in Cameroon’s far north region now hosts about 44,000 people and estimates there are 12,000 unregistered refugees in the region.
In Nigeria, many of those expelled said they were forced out quickly.
“It was a terrible journey. We spent almost six days on the road,” said Musa Kawuri, a 52-year-old trader. “We initially pleaded with the Cameroonian officials to give us grace of some days but we were put in trucks.”
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Some refugees said several people died during their hike to the border.
Haruna Furo, chairman of Adamawa State Emergency Management Agency, said 12,000 Nigerians are expected to arrive from Cameroon.
The militant group has been targeting Cameroon and other countries with troops in the regional force combating insurgency.
On Tuesday, Boko Haram killed eight people and abducted 100 in a raid on a village in the northern part of Cameroon.
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Boko Haram violence has killed thousands and displaced more than 1.5 million people.
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