Global Overview 2012: People internally displaced by conflict and violence - Nigeria

Hundreds of thousands of Nigerians were internally displaced during 2012 as a result of violence and human rights violations. Boko Haram, a radical Islamist armed group which aims to create an independent state in northern Nigeria governed by sharia law, carried out direct attacks causing many to flee their homes.

Other violence and human rights abuses committed by both Boko Haram and the country's military, as well as ongoing inter-communal violence, also caused significant displacement. More than six million people were also displaced by floods which affected large parts of the country during the second half of the year, killing several hundred people and leaving tens of thousands more in a state of severe deprivation having lost their homes, crops and livestock. The floods also compounded the predicament of people already displaced by conflict and violence and hampered return movements.

In the absence of reliable and disaggregated data on the number, sex and location of IDPs in Nigeria, the country's Commission for Refugees put the number of people displaced by both violence and natural disasters at more than one million as of March 2012. It did not, however, divulge the methodology used for its assessment. Most IDPs are known to find refuge with relatives and friends or in churches. There was also little information available on the fate of the estimated 65,000 people who were displaced by post-electoral violence in 2011. That said, hundreds of people from this group of IDPs are known to remain in camps in Kaduna state, where they receive no assistance from the government, livelihood opportunities are limited and most of the children have been out of school since their families fled their homes.

Boko Haram's attacks mainly affected northern and central areas of the country in 2012. Yobe and Borno states were particularly hard-hit, with hundreds of people killed and thousands displaced by armed attacks and bombings targeting both government and civilian sites. Police and military posts, churches, newspaper offices, schools and pubs were all attacked. In the north-western cities of Damaturu and Potiskum, entire neighbourhoods were reported to have been deserted by their inhabitants. Christians were Boko Haram's main targets, but the group also attacked Muslims perceived as cooperating with the authorities against it.

Intense fighting between the Islamists and the army, and raids by the latter involving excessive use of force caused further displacement. In July, the army's Special Task Force forcibly evacuated thousands of people in Plateau state from their homes ahead of what was billed as an anti-terrorist operation. Most of those affected were able to return home after a few weeks.

Inter-communal violence caused displacement primarily in the north and the Middle Belt region of the country, which constitutes the dividing line between the Muslim north and the Christian south. Clashes between livestock herders and arable farmers over the use of land caused deaths and the destruction of property and crops, and led to the displacement of thousands of people during the year in several areas of Adamawa, Benue, Nassarawa and Plateau states.

The government's response to IDPs' needs was largely limited to short-term emergency assistance. The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) continued to lead relief operations while the National Commission for Refugees (NCFR) was in charge of providing longer-term support. In April, NEMA signalled its intention to close several displacement camps in central and northern areas of the country in an effort to encourage people to return to their areas of origin and resume their lives. The regional coordinator for the areas affected explained that maintaining the camps was also a strain on the resources of the states involved.

In April 2012, Nigeria ratified the Kampala Convention and took steps to revise and redraft its national policy on IDPs in line with the convention's provisions, which came into force on 6 December. By the end of the year, however, the policy had still not been adopted. In mid-2012, a law was drafted to amend NCFR's mandate and remove areas of overlap with that of NEMA. The latter has also signalled its intention to review its own mandate in order to clarify responsibilities.

The UN and international NGOs concentrated their efforts primarily on development programmes in 2012, and few organisations responded to the emergency humanitarian needs arising from forced displacement. A humanitarian country team was set up during the year, and UNHCR increased its protection capacity by deploying two officers to work on issues relating to internal displacement.