The National Commission for Refugees (NCFR) was established by Decree 52 of
1989 now Cap. N21, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004 which incorporated the 1951 United
Nations Convention relating to the status of Refugees, its 1967 Protocol and the 1969 Organisation
of African Unity Convention governing specific aspects of Refugees problems in Africa and they
together form the guide to the protection and management of refugees and asylum seekers in
Nigeria.
The Commission was further directed in 2002, by the Federal Government to manage
Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in Nigeria.
i.
ii.
iii.
iv.
v.
vi.
vii.
viii.
National Policies on IDPs 2017 and Migrants 2015
The Federal Government of Nigeria, conscious of its obligation to protect the civil
and human rights of all its citizens, by this Policy on Internal Displacement, hereby confirms its
commitment to the international instruments and human rights standards relevant to Internally
Displaced Persons, particularly the United Nations Guiding Principles on Internal Displacement. The
Federal Government declares that the following clauses among others, are the aims and objectives
it seeks to accomplish by the development of this National Policy: To guide the various arms and levels of the Nigerian Government in the protection of persons firstly
from displacement and secondly to assist in their protection during displacement;
To provide comprehensive guidelines to all international, humanitarian, and development agencies
in the provision of assistance and protection to IDPs in Nigeria;
To assist State governments, security agencies, and other relevant bodies in designing policies that
will provide for the security and well being of displaced persons within their respective States;
To protect displaced persons from disease, epidemic, and other health related problems;
To provide basic amenities such as clothing, food, and shelter in collaboration with governmental
and non-governmental humanitarian agencies;
To establish camp facilities and effective administration in order to cater for the needs of displaced
persons;
To process displaced persons through formal registration and the issuance of identity cards;
To create an awareness of the needs of IDPs in this nation and in the international community; to
mobilize support within the humanitarian community;
The Federal Government in pursuance of its obligation to establish and strengthen the
structures that protect the human, civil and economic rights of its citizens at home and abroad, as
well as the rights of aliens residing in Nigeria, hereby affirms its commitment to all international and
national instruments, principles and standards that are related to migrants.
Rescue of Chibok Girls and Addressing the Flight of IDPs in the North-Eastern Nigeria – 20152016 – May 2017
Official records show that over 100,000 persons died, 2.1 million people displaced as IDPs and
property worth $9bn destroyed by the Boko Haram insurgents in Borno state as at December 2016.
July 2015 – May 2017 : - After months of delicate and complex negotiations with the Boko
Haram insurgents over the 2014 Abducted Chibok school girls, the Federal government
secured the release of 103 of them, rehabilitated and reunited then with their families. The
Government promised to take care of their education and provide them jobs.
98