At least 8,521 Nigerians sought refuge in neighbouring Niger, Cameroon, and Chad between December 2025 and May 2026, fleeing violence in the North-West and North-East regions of the country, Sunday PUNCH reports.
Data from the UNHCR Nigeria Forcibly Displaced Populations dashboard, compiled jointly with the National Commission for Refugees, Migrants and Internally Displaced Persons (NCFRMI), the Nigeria Immigration Service, and the International Organisation for Migration (IOM), shows a net increase of Nigerian refugees in the three countries during the six-month period, bringing the total registered population to 416,184.
Niger recorded the sharpest rise, with its Nigerian refugee population increasing from 258,359 in December 2025 to 268,967 in May 2026 — an increase of 10,608 people. Many of the displaced from Sokoto, Zamfara, and Katsina states have crossed into the Diffa region along 200 kilometres of Route National 1 near the Komadougou River, settling in over 135 makeshift encampments. Key border towns hosting refugees include Kuluk, Gashua, Machina, and Malkotan.
Cameroon hosts 125,192 Nigerians, primarily in its Far North Region and at the Minawao refugee camp, while Chad shelters 22,025 refugees concentrated in the Lac Province, around Baga Sola and Ngala. Most displaced populations originate from Borno, Yobe, and Adamawa, long-standing theatres of Boko Haram and ISWAP activity.
The surge in exodus to Niger coincides with increasing insecurity in Sokoto and Zamfara. In the first half of 2025, at least 2,266 people were killed by insurgents or bandits, surpassing the total casualties of 2024. Over two years of President Bola Tinubu’s administration, at least 10,217 people were killed in attacks across Benue, Edo, Katsina, Kebbi, Plateau, Sokoto, and Zamfara states.
Food insecurity remains a pressing concern. In the Diffa region, 63 per cent of displaced Nigerians lack sufficient access to food, and 43 per cent lack adequate water. Voluntary return of refugees remains slow. Since 2019, at least 37,911 Nigerians have returned from all three countries, including 26,775 in 2025, but only 3,510 have returned by April 2026, all to Borno State.
Borno State Governor, Babagana Zulum, had pledged N500,000 per returning household at Minawao camp, but so far only 3,122 of over 50,000 refugees have agreed to return. A draft tripartite repatriation framework between Nigeria, Niger, and UNHCR is pending review, with no formal arrangement yet for Niger.
Meanwhile, the Federal Government has launched State-Level Adoption of the National Policy on IDPs and corresponding State Action Plans for Katsina and Zamfara, while IOM expanded humanitarian programmes to North-West states to address underserved areas.
In his third-anniversary address on May 29, President Tinubu acknowledged ongoing insecurity but said security operations were intensifying. “While challenges remain, many communities and highways are becoming safer and more economically active,” he stated.
