The European Union on Monday said 7,436 Nigerians crossed into Europe from Nigeria illegally in the second quarter of 2015.
Mr Richard Young, EU Deputy Head of Delegation to Nigeria and ECOWAS,
made this known on the side line of a news briefing on migration in
Abuja.
Young explained that the figure was the number of irregular migrants
that were officially recorded by the EU Border Agency, Frontex.
He said that out of the 7,436 immigrants, 7,124 illegally crossed through the sea borders into Europe during the period.
He said the agency recorded a total of 170,155 migrants that
illegally crossed the borders into Europe from various countries in the
period.
“In this situation, they are referred to as irregular immigrants in the
sense that they crossed the border illegally but may have a right of
asylum.
“After all investigations are done and it is found that they do not
have the right of asylum, then they are referred to as illegal
immigrants,’’ he explained.
The envoy disclosed that EU had earmarked 1.8 billion pounds to set
up an emergency trust fund for stability and addressing root causes of
irregular migration and displaced persons in Africa.
According to him, the fund is set up to address the crises in the
regions of the Sahel and Lake Chad, the Horn of Africa and North Africa.
In an earlier address with newsmen, a senior EU official said the
fund made available by member states was aimed at fostering stability
and contributing to better migration management in Africa.
The official, who spoke under condition of anonymity, said that the
forthcoming 2015 Valletta Summit on Migration would bring EU and African
countries together to enhance partnership and find common solutions to
illegal migration.
No comments:
Post a Comment