… As IOM reiterates commitment to helping Nigerian returnees***
UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) says almost one child per second in Ukraine is becoming a refugee of the war.
This is as the total number of people who have now fled the country since the Russian invasion began surpasses three million.
“Every day, over the past 20 days, in Ukraine more than 70,000 children have become refugees.
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That’s every minute, 55 children fleeing the country,” James Elder, spokesperson for UNICEF said on Tuesday.
Highlighting that nine in 10 of those fleeing unrelenting violence in Ukraine are women and children, Elder warned that youngsters are prey to traffickers, as they arrive in unfamiliar new surroundings.
“To give a sense of the border that I used to visit – the main border, Medyka, Poland to Ukraine – it is scores of people standing around buses and minivans calling out names of capital cities – or at least it was a week ago – people getting onto those.
“The vast, vast majority of course are people with wonderful intentions and great generosity, but there is no doubt given what we understand of trafficking in Europe, that that remains a very, very grave issue,” he said.
The development follows a warning from the UN Secretary-General, who on Monday, said that Russia’s military offensive against civilians was “reaching terrifying proportions”.
In Mariupol, humanitarians warned that the situation in the port city has deteriorated further, after further heavy Russian bombardment.
Hundreds of thousands of people are being “suffocated” by a lack of supplies and are unable to flee the city, besieged by Russian forces.
Across the country, UN humanitarians are delivering lifesaving aid where they have access.
But UNICEF’s Elder reported “indiscriminate attacks time and again on critical infrastructure, particularly water has been targeted.
“Anecdotally, from those colleagues there, we know of families who are undoing all heaters to take water coolant out as a last resort, as something to drink.”
In another development, the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) says it is committed to supporting and helping Nigerian returnees to integrate into society.
IOM Programme Manager in Nigeria, Ruth Mbugua, said this on Tuesday in Lagos at a press briefing.
The IOM official spoke during the arrival of the Charter Flight that brought Nigerian returnees from Libya under the European Union Joint Initiative for Migrant Protection and Reintegration.
She said that the organisation would keep on rendering help to returnees so as to eliminate all forms of stigma.
“International Organisation for Migration is committed in helping people to know the dangers of irregular migration and also to cater to people who fall victim to human trafficking.
“We are expecting returnees from Libya to return to the country and we would give them all the help they need so as to integrate into the society.
“We would be providing reintegration assistance to all returnees and also enlighten them on the dangers of irregular migration.
“Migration to any country should be done through the proper means as irregular migration is extremely dangerous as it causes more harm than good,” she said.
Ola Erinfolami, South-West Zonal Coordinator, National Commission for Refugees, Migrants and Internally Displaced Persons (NCFRMI), noted that returnees were placed in camps for the proper integration process.
“We are committed in ensuring that Nigerian returnees are properly integrated into the society so they are taken to camps upon arrival so as they can be given all the care and attention needed so as to help them.
“They are empowered and taught different forms of skills over a certain period of time as empowering them would help in providing the reintegration process needed for them.
“Also, there are medical professionals on the ground to help deal with any form of medical issues for the returnees and various programmes are carried out to help them,” she said.
Kemi Nandap, Comptroller, Nigeria Immigration Service, Murtala Mohammed International Airport, noted that enlightenment and sensitization programmes should be carried out to enlighten the public on irregular migration.
She revealed that strict measures had been put in place to checkmate human trafficking at the airports.
“The importance of enlightenment programmes cannot be overemphasized as this would go a long way in the fight against irregular migration so organisations should lean to that.
“Border management is important in checkmating human trafficking so we have put in strict measures as our men have been deployed to various strategic places at the border.
“There are detailed procedures to pass through and proper screening while leaving the country through the airport as we believe these measures would help to lessen irregular migration,” she said.
Ibrahim Farinloye, Zonal Coordinator, National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), commended IOM for its efforts in reintegrating Nigerian returnees into the society.
He urged the public to desist from stigmatizing returnees noting that it could affect their mental health.
Mrs Agboko Comfort, Zonal Director, National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP), Lagos Command, advised Nigerians to migrate through legal means.
