06.03.2007 - Source: US Department of State

Asylum system ("Country Report on Human Rights Practices 2006") [ID 19742]

"The law provides for the granting of asylum and refugee status to persons in accordance with the 1951 UN Convention relating to the Status of Refugees and its 1967 protocol, and the government has established a system for providing protection to refugees. The government provided protection against refoulement, the return of persons to a country where they feared persecution, and granted refugee status or asylum. The government cooperated with the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and other humanitarian organizations in assisting refugees and asylum seekers through the National Commission for Refugees, its federal commissioner, and the National Emergency Management Agency. The Eligibility Committee (on which the UNHCR had observer status), governed the granting of refugee status, asylum, and resettlement, and reviewed refugee and resettlement applications"

Document(s): Open document

06.03.2007 - Source: US Department of State

Situation in refugee camps ("Country Report on Human Rights Practices 2006") [ID 19743]

"Refugee camps, which housed approximately 9,000 refugees, were generally overcrowded, and refugees' requests for police and judicial assistance generally received little attention. Refugees had poor access to the courts, but observers noted that it was no worse than that of citizens."

Document(s): Open document

06.03.2007 - Source: US Department of State

Temporary protection of persons who do not qualify as refugees ("Country Report on Human Rights Practices 2006") [ID 19744]

"The government also provided temporary protection to individuals who may not qualify as refugees under the 1951 convention and the 1967 protocol and provided it to a small number of persons during the year."

Document(s): Open document

08.03.2006 - Source: US Department of State

Protection of refugees ("Country Report on Human Rights Practices 2005") [#46036],  [ID 17289]

"The law provides for the granting of asylum and refugee status to persons in accordance with the 1951 UN Convention relating to the Status of Refugees and its 1967 protocol, and the government has established a system for providing protection to refugees. Although the government provided protection against refoulement, the return of persons to a country where they feared persecution, and granted refugee status or asylum, the government expelled three citizens of Equatorial Guinea, where they were then imprisoned. The government cooperated with the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and other humanitarian organizations in assisting refugees and asylum seekers through the National Commission for Refugees (NCR), its federal commissioner, and the National Emergency Management Agency. The Eligibility Committee (on which the UNHCR had observer status), governed the granting of refugee status, asylum, and resettlement, and reviewed refugee and resettlement applications. Of the 1,476 asylum cases during the year, 803 cases were approved and granted refugee status, 512 cases were pending, and 161 were denied. There were an estimated 8,737 recognized refugees living in the country. During the year, 239 refugees were voluntarily repatriated. Remaining refugees included persons from Sierra Leone, Liberia, Chad, Rwanda, Sudan, Cameroon, Cote d'Ivoire, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Refugee camps were generally overcrowded, and refugees' requests for police and judicial assistance generally little less attention. The NCR managed the camps and had 10 staff members based in the camps. Although the government agreed in 2003 to provide resettlement opportunities, no formal programs had been initiated. The government also provided temporary protection to individuals who may not qualify as refugees under the 1951 convention and the 1967 protocol and provided it to 24 persons during the year. The UNHCR estimated that 6 thousand refugees, mostly ethnic Fulani herders, remained in Cameroon at year's end. Following the April 14 signing of the Tripartite Agreement between the governments of Nigeria, Cameroon, and the UNHCR, 6,979 refugees returned to the country through June 2, bringing the total number of returnees to 7,290."

Document(s): Open document

24.05.2004 - Source: US Committee for Refugees and Immigrants

Refugees in Nigeria ("World Refugee Survey 2004") [#22783],  [ID 15248]

"The majority of refugees in Nigeria have lived in the country for many years and support themselves. Some 7,000 refugees resided at Oru camp, in southwest Nigeria’s Ogun State, about 250 miles (400 km) southwest of the capital, Abuja. Oru camp has hosted refugees for 20 years. The 7,000 current residents primarily from Liberia live in cramped conditions in the camp originally meant to house only 1,200people.

The UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) cited high levels of teenage pregnancy in the camp. UNHCR provided uniforms and educational materials to refugee students at Oru primary schools, and offered skills training and micro-credit programs to promote refugees’ self-sufficiency.

Some 6,000 Liberian refugees lived in camp Oru. Nearly 2,000 Sierra Leonean refugees residing in Oru camp voluntarily repatriated in November 2003 with UNHCR assistance.

Several thousand Chadians fled to Nigeria years ago to escape insurgencies and repression in Chad and have lived in Nigeria without humanitarian assistance. Chadian refugees reluctance to repatriate and administrative delays slowed their return. More than 3,000 Chadians remained in Nigeria at year’s end."

Document(s): Open document