Click here to see the numbers and origins of refugees hosted by Nigeria.
For Nigeria country of information (COI) experts, reports, commentaries and relevant documents, please click here.
As UNHCR statistics generally rely on data from host countries, statistics on refugees alone can give an insufficient account of refugee numbers, as some host countries will not grant refugee status to certain groups. Including statistics for individuals in refugee-like situations is an attempt to account for unrecognised refugees and does not include internally displaced persons. Statistics for stateless refugees are included if available.
The right to asylum in Nigeria is recognised under Nigeria’s national law, the National Commission for Refugees Act 1989. The Act provides for the establishment of the National Commission for Refugees composed of the office of the Federal Commissioner for Refugees who receives, processes and grants refugee status to applicants. Nigeria is a party to the 1951 Geneva Convention on Refugees and its 1967 Protocol, and the 1969 OAU Convention Governing the Specific Aspects of Refugee Problems in Africa.
National Commission for Refugees, Migrants and Internally Displaced Persons (NCFRMI)
- The application must be made through the Federal Commissioner or through the office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees in Nigeria.
- Your application will then be sent to the Eligibility Committee for processing.
- The Eligibility Committee may invite the applicant for an interview and will notify the applicant of its decision in writing. Rejected applicants will be given reasons for rejection.
- If your application is rejected, you can appeal this decision to the Refugee Appeal Board within 30 days.
- While waiting for the decision of your appeal, you are allowed to remain in the country.
Humanitarian Care for Displaced Persons (HCFDPS)
Email: orovwuje@yahoo.com
Humanitarian Care for Displaced Persons (HCFDPS) works with displaced persons and migrants (mostly Nigeria) to rebuild their lives and provide safety nets to communities and empower them with vocational and soft skills. Their priority is displaced persons and vulnerable communities.
BAOBAB for Women’s Human Rights
http://baobabwomen.blogspot.co.uk
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76 Ogudu Road, Ojota, Lagos – PO Box 73630, Victoria Island, Lagos
Tel: +243 14 74 79 31or 89 80 834
Email: baobabwomen@yahoo.com
Contact Person: Ms. Sindi Medar-Gould, Executive Director
BAOBAB For Women’s Human Rights is a not for profit, women’s human rights NGO, which focuses on women’s legal rights’ issues under the three systems of law: customary, statutory and religious laws in Nigeria. BAOBAB operates from a national office in Lagos and with outreach teams in 14 states across Nigeria. These are: Adamawa, Borno, Edo, Kaduna, Kano, Katsina, Kogi, Kwara, Lagos, Osun, Oyo, Plateau, Taraba and Zamfara. The organisation works with women, legal and paralegal professionals, human rights NGOs and members of the general public. BAOBAB’s stated mission is “to promote women’s human rights principally via improving knowledge, exercise and development of rights under religious laws, customary laws and statutory laws.” The objectives of BAOBAB are to: promote the knowledge, development and exercise of women’s rights; protect and defend the rights of women; raise awareness of women’s human rights, abuse of these rights and other legal issues as they affect women, with a view to determining policies which can best promote all human rights; further the construction of truly universal and relevant human rights; and support and strengthen women’s and other human rights focused organizations and individual activists. BAOBAB conduct outreach activities (public awareness, paralegal training, etc), social and legislative advocacy, and publish and research on the state of women’s human rights in Nigeria.
Barrister James Ibor
Email: jamesibor@yahoo.com
James Ibor is a lawyer based in Calabar, Cross River Sate, Nigeria. He is the Executive Secretary for the NGO Basic Rights Counsel Initiative (BRC) and is currently working on the Niger Delta Child Rights Watch (NDCRW) Project funded by Safe Child Africa (http://www.safechildafrica.org) and supported by the Bar Human Rights Committee of England and Wales.
The NDCRW Project aims to raise awareness about child abuse in the Niger Delta region by increasing the number of prosecutions of those who commit offences against children. The Child Rights Act 2003 now makes harming a child illegal and protects children by affirming their legal right to be safe from harm. James Ibor represents children in all cases of child abuse including accusations of witchcraft, physical and sexual abuse, neglect and abandonment, child trafficking, child prostitution and sexual exploitation.
Civil Liberties Organization
13 Soji Adepegba Close, Off Allen Avenue, Ikeja, Lagos
Tel: +234 17 74 66 94 or 85 11 577 or 80 38 19 58 18
Fax: +234 14 93 93 24
Contact Person: Osaze Lanre Nosaze, Executive Director
Email: osaze.nosaze@live.com
The Civil Liberties Organisation is the foremost indigenous human rights organisation in Nigeria. It is a non-profit, non-governmental human rights initiative. Its objectives include the enhancement of human rights awareness in consonance with universally accepted norms of human rights and fundamental freedoms.
Ms Uche Agomoh, Pro Bono Refugee Lawyer
J.B. Daudu & Co, Gwarimpa Model City, Gwarimpa – Abuja
Tel: +234 803 786 2400 or 805 208 3909
Email: uceeh@yahoo.com
ANTI-FGM/C ORGANISATIONS IN NIGERIA
CAFSO-WRAG for Development
LGBTI ORGANISATIONS IN NIGERIA
International Centre For Reproductive Health And Sexual Rights (INCRESE)
Address: 1E Bosso Road, Beside Fire Service, G. P. Box3684, Minna, Niger State
Tel: +234 806 5488417
Fax: +234 8034500714
Email: Increse2001@yahoo.co.uk
INCRESE is a non-profit NGO that seeks to promote sexual reproductive rights, provide health information and services to women, adolescents and sexual minorities and provide support mechanisms for those living with HIV/AIDS, victims of seuxal violence and sexual minorities.