The purpose of this report on Nigeria is to provide relevant contextual information in view of the assessment of applications for international protection, including refugee status and subsidiary protection. The report provides an overview of the situation in Nigeria in the period 1 January 2023 – 31 March 2024, focusing on security issues and selected profiles relevant for international protection. The report builds upon the preceding EASO COI report Nigeria Security Situation – June 2021.
The drafting of this report was finalised on 3 May 2024. Events taking place after the end of the reference period have not been included.
The report is divided into two parts. The first part provides a security overview and looks into security trends in the period 1 January 2023 - 31 March 2024 and into the nature of the incidents, particularly those having impacted civilians. This is followed by an overview of the Actors involved in the conflict, to be read in conjunction with the EASO COI report Nigeria Security Situation – June 2021, pages 23-39, where the different actors involved in the conflict are presented in detail. Next is a breakdown of the security situation by geopolitical zone. The second part of the report addresses a – non exhaustive – selection of the main profiles relevant for Nigeria. More specifically, the report addresses the situation of victims of trafficking in human beings, women and girls, and LGBTIQ people.
This report was written by the Country of Origin Information (COI) sector of EUAA.
The following national asylum and migration departments reviewed this report:
- Austria, Federal Office for Immigration and Asylum, Country of Origin Information Department
- Denmark, Danish Immigration Service, Ministry of Immigration and Integration
- France, Office for the Protection of Refugees and Stateless Persons (OFPRA), Information, Documentation and Research Division (DIDR)
- The Netherlands, Country of Origin Information Unit, Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The following external expert reviewed this report:
- Stella Odiase, Lawyer and Doctoral Candidate at the Institute of Development Studies, Sussex University
This report was written according to the EUAA COI Report Methodology (2023) and the EUAA COI Writing and Referencing Style Guide (2023).
Policy
The policy implemented by the Commissioner General is based on a thorough analysis of accurate and up-to-date information on the general situation in the country of origin. This information is collated in a professional manner from various, objective sources, including the EUAA, the UNHCR, relevant international human rights organisations, non-governmental organisations, professional literature and coverage in the media. When determining policy, the Commissioner General does not only examine the COI Focuses written by Cedoca and published on this website, as these deal with just one aspect of the general situation in the country of origin. The fact that a COI Focus could be out-of-date does not mean that the policy that is being implemented by the Commissioner General is no longer up-to-date.
When assessing an application for asylum, the Commissioner General not only considers the actual situation in the country of origin at the moment of decision-making, he also takes into account the individual situation and personal circumstances of the applicant for international protection. Every asylum application is examined individually. An applicant must comprehensively demonstrate that he has a well-founded fear of persecution or that there is a clear personal risk of serious harm. He cannot, therefore, simply refer back to the general conditions in his country, but must also present concrete, credible and personal facts.
There is no policy paper for this country available on the website.