10 February 2008
Senate President David Mark yesterday alleged that armed bandits were coming into Nigeria along with Chadian refugees, saying that security agents at the borders must intensify surveillance.
Mark made the allegation while fielding questions from aviation correspondents at the Presidential Wing of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos.
The senate president, who was on his way to Abuja from Ogun State, said the influx of refugees must be monitored to avoid security problems.
"Anytime there is crisis in Chad, Nigeria bears the brunt of it because a lot of refugees come into the country, and when they do, people carrying arms also come in.
"As a result, the rate of armed robbery in the Northern part of the country increases dramatically; so, we must be watchful," he said.
Mark said that Nigeria would not close its borders due to the alleged development, but stressed that the country should ensure proper surveillance.
The senate president said that Nigeria had to bear the burden of refugees' influx because of its giant stature in Africa.
He said that a federal government delegation including a senator left Nigeria yesterday to meet with the Chadian president toward resolving the crisis in Chad. The senate president said that Nigeria was considering severing diplomatic relations with undemocratic countries.
On the 2008 budget, the senate president said it would be the best so far in Nigeria's democratic history, adding that its implementation would be properly monitored.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that more than 3,500 Chadian refugees have arrived in Nigeria since the Chadian crisis worsened this week.
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