No fewer than 6,000 people, mostly women, children and elderly, displaced following the military onslaught against members of Islamist militant sects, Boko Haram and the al Qaeda-linked Ansaru, have fled to neighboring Niger Republic.

The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees Agency, made this known in a report it presented in New York, United States on Tuesday by its spokesperson, Mr. Adrian Edwards.

‘’Those who spoke to UNHCR say they escaped for fear of being caught in the government-led crackdown,’’ Edwards said. He added that the presence of the Nigerians Refugees in Niger was ‘’putting a strain on meager local food and water resources’’ on the country which ‘’struggles with insecurity due to years of drought.’’

 The refugees, he continued, are either renting houses or staying with host families, who are themselves living in very precarious conditions. Edwards stated that UNHCR member of staff, who visited several border villages hosting the refugees, met some Nigerians families living out in the open and some under trees. Plans are underway to deliver relief materials to the refugees and their host communities.

 The report also stated that the Nigerian refugees reported that air strikes by government forces are continuing from time to time, and that planes are regularly flying over the state of Borno, Yobe and Adamawa where a state of emergency has been in force since May 14.

It added, ‘’people arriving in Niger also mentioned the increasing presence of roving armed bandits in several state in Nigeria. The people also spoke of rising commodity prices coupled with pre-existing food insecurity which is also becoming a major concern for the populations of the affected states.

Nigerian forces are engaged in a four-week-old operation to regain territory from fighters loyal to Boko Haram. The soldiers claim that they had destroyed key Boko Haram bases and arrested more than 150 suspected insurgents in Borno, Yobe and Adamawa states.

 However, in statement on Friday, Defence Headquarters Spokesman, Brig-Gen. Chris Olukolade, denied a report that Nigerian refugees were ‘’pouring into’’ Niger.

This was even as the National Emergency Management Agency said it was responding to the humanitarian needs of the displaced Nigerians in Niger Republic to alleviate their conditions.

Meanwhile, the special representative of the UN Secretary- General for West Africa, Mr. Said Djinnit, has tasked West African countries to collaborate and tackle terrorism in the sub-region.

Djinnit, who is also the chairman, Cameroon- Nigeria Mixed Commission, said this on Tuesday in Abuja when he paid a visit to the Minister of State for Defense, Mrs. Olusola Obada, in her office.

 The special representative said the visit was to explore how he could work closely with ECOWAS and its leaders in stabilizing the region and creating conditions for peace. ‘’The threat extremism or terrorism is affecting all the countries in West Africa and Africa in general. So there is need for a general effort. This should be a national effort, though Nigeria is putting its own effort but we need to mobilize the entire region to work together to address the root cause of the problem, address the concern and challenge in a coordinated manner within the framework of the exiting plan of action with ECOWAS, African Union and the UN,’’ he said.  He then commended Nigerian for the role it had been playing in the Gulf of Guinea in the fight against piracy.

    The envoy said that he was aware that there was agreement and security arrangement between Nigeria and Cameroon.

    ‘’I encourage both countries to work closely in addressing common security threats at their common borders, especially in the context of growing pressure put by the extremist and terrorist groups in the border Sahel region which has affected Nigeria and other countries,’’ Djinnit stated.

   Making her remark, Obada said the relationship that existed between Nigeria and Cameroon dated back to 1960s and was anchored on affinities and shared destiny, as over four million Nigerians are living in Cameroon

Also, the Senate President, David Mark, while hosting the presiding officer of the Czech Republic parliament, Mr. Stech that terrorism would soon be history in Nigeria.

Mark, who is on the visit to the country, said the operation against insurgents in Adamawa, Borno and Yobe states would bring terrorism to an end in Nigeria. ‘’The operation is being handled well and sooner than later, terrorism will become part of our history. We are conscious that fighting terror is difficult because of factors that dwell on human rights and collateral damages. But the operators of emergency that has been introduced in the area will bring terrorism to an end.” He said.

He expressed regrets however that the nation came under attack from misguided extremist.

‘’This trend became escalated by the situation in Mali, Niger, Libya and Chad but the Federal Government tried o curtail this through appeal and other carrot approaches but this did not quite succeed until the introduction of emergency rule,’’ Mark said.

    He told the Czech parliamentarians that the National Assembly would continue to create legislative instruments that would deepen democracy in Nigeria.

    Earlier the president of the Czech Parliament, Mr. Stech, sympathized with the Nigerian government over the Boko Haram attacks.