Nigeria Accommodates 23,000+ Refugees And Asylum Seekers – Report

Nigeria Accommodates 23,000+ Refugees And Asylum Seekers – Report

At least 23,465 foreign nationals, primarily children, have sought asylum in Nigeria as of July 2024, Ireporteronline learned.

This comprises 5,629 urban refugees and 17,836 asylum seekers.

Data obtained from the United Nations Human Rights Council, Nigeria, showed that most asylum seekers originated from Cameroun, Syria, the Central African Republic, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Lebanon, Chad, Palestine and Sudan, where the army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces have been clashing since April 2023.

According to the National Commission for Refugees, Migrants and Internally Displaced Persons, 15,908 asylum seekers are from Cameroun, 988 from the Syrian Arab Republic, 254 from CAR and 292 from Sudan.

They also include 81 from the DRC, 36 Chadians, 46 Palestinians and 103 from other nationalities.

The Commission says 9,430 are children, while 5,689 and 2,706 are men and women, respectively.

Since August 2022, over 22,000 persons reportedly fled Cameroun to Nigeria, with the majority located in Madagali, Mubi North, Mubi South and Michika local government areas in Adamawa State.

The report says, “With the ongoing L2 registration exercise in Adamawa State, 14,736 asylum-seekers have been registered by UNHCR and NCFRMI as part of the response to the influx of Asylum-seekers from Cameroon,” most of whom are fleeing protracted violence in the Ambazonian War between security forces and armed groups.

According to rights groups, over 700,000 Camerounians have been displaced since the war broke out in September 2017.

Furthermore, Nigeria registered an influx of 5,629 urban refugees as of July 2024.

These refugees were from Cameroon (1,374), Niger (1,438), Central African Republic (940), Democratic Republic of the Congo (538), Syrian Arab Republic (510), Türkiye (416), Mali (82), Chad (55), Others (276).

The UNHCR says 2,047 are men, 1,537 are women, and 2,045 are children, with the majority being between 18 and 59 years old.

A closer examination of the data revealed that June 2024 saw the highest registration of refugees and asylum seekers.

“Trends indicate a minimal desire for repatriation among urban refugees (only two repatriated over a three-year period),” the UN said.

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 Document—also called Refugee Passport—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 not practicable to keep out all refugees and asylum seekers, border control agencies such as the immigration service must be on high alert for infiltrators.

He said, “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.”