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LAGOS - United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) said it has given Liberian refugees in Nigeria till July, 2012 to leave the country and return back to Liberia or be declared migrants thereby denying them of the legal status protecting them.
The refugees are few survivors of one of the world's bloodiest conflicts in which over 180, 000 people were killed and millions displaced across the African continent
“If you wish to return back to Liberia, you can repatriate immediately after registering for the voluntary repatriation programme. On July 1, 2012, you won’t be refugees in this country anymore” a UNHCR spokesperson said.
“You'll lose the legal status which protected you during your years of exile here” she added.
Nigeria is among the countries in the world known for inaccurate data keeping and it is not sure if those reluctant to go home could face repatriation troubles by the country's immigration agency.
"This is just cheap talks for the sake of formality and legality, there is no way you can say who is a Nigerian or not in this country unless there are changes in skin color or accent, which incidentally we share the same with Liberians" Seyi Balogun, an analyst at the briefing said.
Some Liberians are however of the opinion that the country (Liberia) is still unstable and are reluctant to return back home reminiscent of the First and Second Liberian Civil Wars which spanned through a 14 year period from 1989 to 2003 despite a break of relative peace when former President Charles Taylor took over in 1996.
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