This report from the European Asylum Support Office (EASO) aims to provide information focusing on ‘selected topics’ of particular relevance for international protection status determination (refugee status and subsidiary protection) for Nigerian applicants.
The report is composed of seven chapters. The first chapter provides background information about the legal and administrative system, demography and political situation in Nigeria. The second chapter presents the security situation in the six regions of the country. The third chapter covers the judiciary, sources of Nigerian legislation and security forces. Chapter 4 is devoted to gender-related issues, chapter 5 to the situation of LGBT persons and the last two chapters focus on violence and conflict linked to religion and ‘traditional’ cultural practices.
The report was written by experts from the asylum and migration departments of Norway, the Netherlands and Italy. Prior to publication, it was presented for review and comment to the asylum and migration departments of Denmark, Portugal, Slovenia and Switzerland, and to EASO. All comments made by the reviewers were taken into consideration and most of them were implemented in the final draft of this report.
The report was written according to the EASO COI Report Methodology and finalised on 8 May 2017.
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 EASO, 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 The fact that a COI Focus could be out-of-date does not mean that the policy that is being implemented by the Commissioner General is no longer up-to-date.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.