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US refugee status difficult for Ogonis

    ABIDJAN

    A campaigner for the rights of the Ogoni people of southeastern Nigeria, Apollos Bulo, has warned over 600 Ogonis seeking refugee status in the United States that they stand little chance of achieving their aim, The ‘Vanguard’ newspaper of Lagos reported.

    “Refugee status might be difficult to get by such Ogonis because the situation in Ogoni now does not warrant anybody seeking refugee status,” he said in the southeastern city of Port Harcourt.

    Bulo, who is president of the US chapter of the Movement for the Survival of the Ogoni People (MOSOP), added: “We are now under a democratic government and President Obasanjo has given the world the impression that normalcy has returned to the country.”

    The Ogonis in the US were among some 30,000 members of their community who fled their homes in the heat of their struggle against the oil giant Shell that led to the execution of Ken Saro-Wiwa and eight other MOSOP members. Bulo said refugee status had been easier to obtain in the aftermath of the execution.

    This article was produced by IRIN News while it was part of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. Please send queries on copyright or liability to the UN. For more information: https://shop.un.org/rights-permissions

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