From Okwe Obi, Abuja
The Federal Government has revealed that Nigeria currently has 6.7 million Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs), 142,000 refugees and asylum seekers, and 24,000 documented returnees from Cameroon, Libya, etc.
Minister of State for Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction, Tanko Sununu, disclosed this at the 76th session of the Executive Committee (EXCOM) meeting of the High Commissioner’s Programme, at the Palais des Nations, Geneva, Switzerland, on Tuesday, October 7.
Sununu, who was represented by the Permanent Secretary, Yakubu Kofarmata, noted that the displacement figures were driven by insurgency and conflicts largely perpetrated by non-state armed actors and natural disasters.
According to him, the international community, like the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, has become overstretched both financially and in human resource capacity.
He decried that the strain was further compounded by the redirection of global donor support to other priority areas, leaving vulnerable populations increasingly dependent on host states and host communities confronted with numerous challenges.
He commended Nigeria for the efforts in harbouring displaced persons.
He said: “As of September 2025, Nigeria hosts over 142,000 refugees and asylum seekers; has received over 24,000 documented returnees and spontaneous returns and has a population of over 6.7 million internally displaced persons countrywide.
“All these displaced populations continue to be protected by a robust existing national legal framework that affords them different protections and procedures to fully enjoy their rights.
“The NCFRMI Act of 2022 remains fully functional and steered by the National Commission for Refugees, Migrants and Internally Displaced Persons (NCFRMI). The Kampala Convention is on the verge of domestication, now solely pending the President’s assent.
“Additionally, several Nigerian states have already developed State Action Plans in line with the UN Secretary General’s Action Agenda on displacement, to provide structured responses to internal displacement situations.”
He reaffirmed Nigeria’s commitment to the protection and assistance of refugees, asylum seekers, migrants, and Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) and stateless persons in line with international obligations and national priorities.
He called on the international community, UNHCR, and humanitarian partners to strengthen collective action to enhance partnerships that promote shared responsibility and ensure timely, people-centred responses.
Also, to invest in digital innovation to develop secure and inclusive platforms that safeguard data while empowering refugees with direct access to their information.
More so, to build national and local capacities to sustain high-quality asylum systems and improve durable solutions, to encourage responsibility-sharing to ease the disproportionate burden on frontline host countries.
“Advancing durable solutions that foster education, livelihoods, and social cohesion, enabling displaced populations to contribute meaningfully to host societies.
“Enhancing active engagement of private sector actors and the strengthened participation of development partners in advancing sustainable humanitarian solutions and related interventions,” he added.
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