"Our personnel have been very busy attending to the influx of these refugees, many of whom are severely wounded."

The Nigerian Red Cross Society has appealed to Nigerians and organisations for assistance to cater for the needs of Cameroonian refugees who fled to Bashu community in Boki Local Government Area of Cross River State.

It would be recalled that a week ago, over 500 refugees from South-west Cameroon fled to Bashu, a border community with Cameroon following a reported crisis that broke out in their communities.

Reacting to the development, Friday Okwo, Head of Red Cross in Cross River, said they lacked the manpower and supplies to cater for the teeming number of refugees that was growing every day.

Another official of the society, who did not want his name mentioned, said the number of refugees was increasing daily and needed medical and humanitarian attention.

He said they were trying their best but needed the assistance of other agencies and well-meaning Nigerians before they ran out of supplies.

"Our personnel have been very busy attending to the influx of these refugees many of whom are severely wounded.

"We give the elderly women, children and critically wounded ones immediate medical care but as we speak, space is becoming a challenge," he said.

Similarly, a youth leader in the Bashu community, Augustine Ogar, said facilities have been overstretched, adding that there was an immediate need for humanitarian supplies.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) had earlier reported the crisis by a separatist group in Cameroonian border communities, in which many citizens of the central African country have been injured.

Some have been killed, while others fled to Bashu in Cross River.