BREAKING: 394,000 Nigerian IDPs stranded in Niger, Cameroon, Chad – UN

At least 394,221 Nigerian refugees fleeing terrorist violence are currently residing in Niger, Cameroon and Chad—as of January 2025, according to recent records by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees.......CONTINUE READING THE ARTICLE FROM THE SOURCE>>>>>

This includes 120,000 Borno residents who fled to Niger Republic to take refuge after being displaced from their communities by Boko Haram.

The breakdown shows that 247,339 Nigerians are taking refuge in Niger, 125,206 in Cameroon, and 21,676 in Chad.

In July 2022, the Governor of Borno State, Prof. Babagana Zulum, inaugurated two committees to manage the repatriation of refugees from neighbouring countries and manage issues of repentant insurgents.

Zulum also created another committee to facilitate the safe resettlement of displaced citizens back to Gudumbali and Mairari towns in Guzamala Local Government Area, LGA of the state.

However, in December of the following year, the Governor complained that the closure of the Nigeria-Niger Republic border by the Federal Government stalled the efforts to repatriate the over 120,000 still trapped in foreign lands.

This followed the July 26 military coup that ousted former Nigerien President Mohamed Bazoum.

In March 2024, the governor said he discussed plans with President Bola Tinubu to resume the repatriation of Nigerians from the neighbouring countries, announcing that at least 100,000 Nigerians displaced to Niger, Chad and Cameroon were returned to their homes since 2017.

Analysis of Refugee Trends Data for September, October, November and December 2024 by our correspondent revealed that the number of refugees rose by 3.4 per cent.

Nigerian refugees in Niger increased from 239,117 to 247,339 within that period.

Similarly, those in Cameroon rose marginally from 124,337 to 125,206, reflecting a 0.7 per cent increase.

The number of refugees in Chad remained relatively the same, increasing slightly from 21,654 to 21,676. The total number of Nigerian refugees abroad climbed from 385,108 to 394,221 for the period under review, representing an overall 2.4 per cent increase.

Meanwhile, Nigeria currently hosts 122,310 refugees and asylum seekers as of December 2024.

This marked an 11.4 percent increase from 109,364 in September to 109,779 in October, indicating a steady rise in asylum seekers entering Nigeria during the period under review.

A closer look at the distribution of refugees and asylum-seekers within Nigeria reveals a high concentration across Borno, Yobe, and Adamawa states—areas most affected by insurgency and communal clashes.

The report attributed the ongoing displacement to the Boko Haram insurgency, communal clashes and violence in Nigeria’s North-East, which continue to displace thousands of citizens internally and across borders.

Three million five hundred fifty-eight thousand thirty-eight people remain internally displaced, with 2,255,595 of them concentrated in the North-East, primarily in Borno, Adamawa and Yobe states.

Additionally, the Cameroonian refugees are mostly those fleeing the anglophone crisis, which has raged for the past seven years. According to rights groups, over 700,000 Camerounians have been displaced since the war broke out in September 2017.

Refugees from Cameroon also found shelter in Nigeria’s South-South, South-East, Middle-Belt, and North-East regions. Over 2.1 million Nigerians returned home since 2015, including 37,432 spontaneous refugee returns and 5,103 voluntary repatriations from Cameroon. This also includes the 392 Nigerians repatriated from Niger Republic in December 2022.

As a signatory to the 1951 Geneva Convention, Nigeria grants refugee status and asylum to deserving parties fleeing persecution and conflict from their respective states.

In May 2019, the Nigeria Immigration Service produced the first set of Convention Travel Documents—also called Refugee Passports—to be issued to refugees under the protection of Nigeria by the National Commission for Refugees, Migrants and Internally Displaced Persons.

The CTD enables affected persons to reside in Nigeria lawfully or any of the remaining 148 countries that are signatories to the treaty.

However, “during mass movements of refugees, usually as a result of conflict or violence, it is not always possible or necessary to conduct individual asylum procedures and interview every asylum-seeker,” says the UNHCR.

A former Nigerian Ambassador to Singapore, Ogbole Amedu-Ode, told our correspondent that while it is impracticable to disallow all refugees and asylum seekers, border control agencies such as the immigration service must be on high alert for infiltrators, especially in the wake of cross-border terrorism.

“Nigeria is a signatory to the appropriate international instruments, conventions and treaties that grant favour to asylum seekers, especially those under persecution.

“And we’re aware of all of the people from Cameroon, where there’s some kind of civil unrest and agitation. The same goes for Sudan, Syria, and some parts of Lebanon. So, based on those international conventions, Nigeria is obliged to admit and grant them asylum to secure them from persecution.

“However, I think given the situation we face in Nigeria, the relevant agencies should have their eyes peeled to watch out for people who might be used to infiltrate the Nigerian space for any negative objectives and agenda,” the ex-diplomat explained.