CJN raises alarm over forceful eviction of refugees

Posted by admin Headlines, Judiciary Tuesday, May 22nd, 2012

The Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Justice Dahiru Musdapher, on Monday, raised the alarm over the security threat, which the forceful eviction of refugees by the Federal Government could constitute to Nigeria.

The CJN, however, advised the government to stop returning refugees to their countries of origin, against their will.

He noted that the forceful eviction of refugees might spell doom for the country, as they could sneak back through porous borders and pose a greater security threat to the nation.

Speaking at the opening of the workshop on “Refugees Law for Judges and Kadis,” organised by the National Judicial Institute (NJI), in Abuja, with the theme, “Towards a better understanding of the plight of refugees and internally displaced persons,” the CJN stated that to return or ‘refouler’ a refugee was against Article 33 of the 1951 Convention on the Status of Refugees.

“It is not far-fetched to envisage a situation where forcibly displace persons (FDPs) could slip through unprocessed through more porous borders and present an even greater security threat,” he stated.

The CJN, who commended the NJI, said the workshop was timely, taking into account the increasing roles of courts in interpreting and enforcing legal standards for the protection of FDPs.

According to him, “the need to organise and conduct regular training courses on this subject-matter not just for judges, but also other stakeholders, such as lawyers, asylum officers, border guards/immigration officers, the police, social workers and law students could not be overemphasised in order to keep track of current developments on Refugee Law.”

-Tribunewp_posts