Chad have reportedly arrested and deported 600 Nigerians who fled to the country for safety following persistent Boko Haram attacks on their communities.

The AFP learnt from two Nigerians arrested in Chad that before deporting the 600 Nigerians, were dumped in the Cameroonian town of Kousseri across the border from N’Djamena after they were picked up by the authorities. The outlet said Chadian police confirmed that deportations without giving a figure.

“On Friday security personnel raided our home,” Kyari Musa, who had been living in N’Djamena, told AFP. “They said all Nigerian refugees are Boko Haram and should leave their country.

They took our biometric data,” he said. “They warned that whoever returns and is caught will spend 20 years in jail.” On Saturday, the Nigerians said, Chadian customs agents took them to the Nigerian border town of Gamboru.

“The mass arrests started on Wednesday,” said Ari Modu, who said he was bailed out of jail by his boss, and is still living in Chad. Some 227 people were arrested on Wednesday, Modu told AFP. He and Musa both said the arrests Friday rounded up another 371 people.