L
LequteMan
Guest
Alhaji Abdulai Abukari, the Consul-General of the Ghana High Commission in Nigeria on Monday blamed insecurity in Nigeria and other West African countries on unregulated movement of stateless people.
The UNHCR recently reported that about 700,000 people in West Africa had no nationalities, while more than five million others were at risk of being stateless.
Abukari told newsmen in Lagos that the increasing number of people without nationalities across the region was becoming worrisome.
"Today, we have so many people who hop from Nigeria to Ghana, Ghana to Nigeria, Niger to Nigeria, Cameroon to Nigeria and so on.
``Countries in West Africa should know that such people are instruments for promoting violence and insecurity in our countries.
``For instance in Nigeria, the Boko Haram insurgency is not only linked to Nigeria but with people from other countries,’’ he said.
He advised that something urgent should be done to give the affected persons nationalities.
The envoy, therefore, called on governments in West Africa that were yet to ratify the UN Conventions on Statelessness to urgently do so.
The UNHCR recently reported that about 700,000 people in West Africa had no nationalities, while more than five million others were at risk of being stateless.
Abukari told newsmen in Lagos that the increasing number of people without nationalities across the region was becoming worrisome.
"Today, we have so many people who hop from Nigeria to Ghana, Ghana to Nigeria, Niger to Nigeria, Cameroon to Nigeria and so on.
``Countries in West Africa should know that such people are instruments for promoting violence and insecurity in our countries.
``For instance in Nigeria, the Boko Haram insurgency is not only linked to Nigeria but with people from other countries,’’ he said.
He advised that something urgent should be done to give the affected persons nationalities.
The envoy, therefore, called on governments in West Africa that were yet to ratify the UN Conventions on Statelessness to urgently do so.
