Chad Deports Over 600 Irregular Nigerian Migrants

The Chadian Government has reportedly deported over 600 irregular migrants from Nigeria who were said to have engaged primarily in begging and other illegal activities in the country.

Sources said that those affected were indigenes of Borno, Kano, Sokoto, and Kaduna States in northern Nigeria, many of who fled in their thousands at the peak of the Boko Haram insurgency to take refuge in neighbouring countries of Chad and Cameroon.

Muhammed Barkindo, the Director-General of the State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA), disclosed this to newsmen while profiling the refugees in Maiduguri on Monday.

Mr Barkindo said the migrants were primarily from Borno, Kano, Sokoto and Kaduna states and had entered Chad without proper documentation.

Mr Barkindo said that many of them were reportedly living in precarious conditions and resorted to street begging for survival.

According to him, SEMA had provided them with logistics support and basic necessities, including food and N10 000 for transport, before their departure to their respective states.

He said that many of the migrants expressed the desire to return home due to the hardships they faced.