Country Briefing

Area:	923,768 km²
Capital:	Abuja
Population:	239.43 million (2026 estimate)
Official languages:	English
Currency:	Naira (NGN) (Britannica Online Encyclopaedia, 12 June 2026a)

1. Brief overview of Nigeria

Nigeria is a country situated on the west coast of Africa, bordering Niger to the north, Chad and Cameroon to the east, and Benin to the west. The Gulf of Guinea and the Atlantic Ocean form its southern border. Nigeria is the most populous country in Africa (Britannica Online Encyclopaedia, 12 June 2026b), with more than 250 different ethnic groups speaking a total of over 500 different languages (BBC, 28 July 2023).

The borders of present-day Nigeria were established in 1914, when the two British protectorates of Northern Nigeria and Southern Nigeria were merged to form the Colony and Protectorate of Nigeria. The country gained independence on 1 October 1960, and in 1963, a new constitution marked the transition to a republic (Britannica Online Encyclopaedia, 12 June 2026c). At the time of independence, Nigeria comprised three major regions – the Eastern, Western and Northern regions. In 1963, the Western Region was split and a new region – the Middle West Region – was created (Britannica Online Encyclopaedia, 12 June 2026d).

The first decades following independence were marked by several changes of government, beginning with the military coup of 1966, as well as the civil war of 1967–1970, which broke out after the Eastern Region had declared independence under the name ‘Republic of Biafra’. A further period of military rule, which began in 1983, ended in 1999 with the return to civilian government (BBC, 28 July 2023).

Nigeria is currently divided into 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory of Abuja, which are grouped into six geopolitical zones (South-West, South-South, South-East, North-West, North-Central and North-East). The states are further subdivided into 774 Local Government Areas (LGAs), each of which is governed by a council responsible for providing basic services and receives monthly payments from a national federation account for this purpose ( Nigerian Embassy Germany, 29 April 2019 ). A map showing the current states (as of 2015) can be viewed here.

Nigeria is rich in natural resources and, above all, has large reserves of crude oil and natural gas. Other important raw materials include mineral resources such as diamonds, gold, iron ore, bauxite and tantalum (Merkur, 7 November 2025). Revenue from the oil sector accounts for 29 per cent of government revenue (as at September 2025). Other sectors of the economy, such as agriculture, solid minerals and manufacturing, are gaining in importance, as is the digital sector. As of the second quarter of 2024, the digital economy accounted for almost 20 per cent of gross domestic product (GDP), whilst in the same quarter of 2024, revenue from the oil sector amounted to just 5.7 per cent of GDP (ITA, 5 September 2025). Nigeria remains reliant on petrol imports, as the three state-owned refineries are unproductive and only the Dangote refinery is capable of producing petrol domestically (Punch, 15 December 2025). In the liquefied natural gas sector, Nigeria was estimated to be the sixth-largest exporter worldwide in 2024 (EIA, 18 November 2025, p. 1), whilst in terms of gemstone exports, Nigeria ranked 30th in May 2024 (The Guardian Nigeria, 23 May 2024).

2. Ethnic and religious groups

Nigeria’s three largest ethnic groups are the Hausa, who live in the north of the country, the Yoruba, who live in the south-west, and the Igbo in the south-east (BBC, 27 May 2025; Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Nigeria, undated). According to 2018 estimates, around 30 per cent of the population are Hausa, 15.5 per cent are Yoruba and 15.2 per cent are Igbo (also: Ibo). Smaller groups include the Fulani (6 per cent), Tiv (2.4 per cent), Kanuri/Beriberi (2.4 per cent), Ibibio (1.8 per cent) and Ijaw/Izon (1.8 per cent). 24.9 per cent of the population belong to other ethnic groups (CIA, 19 December 2025).

Over time, the Hausa and Fulani have integrated into a single group and are predominantly Muslim. Fulani living in towns enter into inter-ethnic marriages and speak Hausa, whilst Fulani living in rural areas as cattle herders generally marry within their own group and speak Fulani. The greatest diversity of ethnic groups – more than 180 – is found in what is known as Nigeria’s Middle Belt, with the Tiv and the Nupe being the largest ethnic groups in this region (Britannica Online Encyclopaedia, 12 June 2026e). The term ‘Middle Belt’ refers to north-central Nigeria and encompasses the states of Benue, Plateau, Kogi, Nasarawa, Niger, Kwara and the Federal Capital Territory. The population living here is predominantly Christian, but there is a significant Muslim population ( Ojewale, 23 June 2021 ; MBDC, undated).

English is the official national language; the indigenous languages Hausa, Yoruba, Igbo and Fula, as well as Pidgin English, are widely spoken. Hausa is the most widely spoken language in the country (Britannica Online Encyclopaedia, 12 June 2026e) and is also the language of the Sharia courts in northern Nigeria (USCIRF, December 2019, p. 5). Article 55 of the Constitution stipulates that the business of the National Assembly shall be conducted in English, but also in Hausa, Igbo and Yoruba, provided that appropriate arrangements have been made ( Nigeria’s Constitution of 1999 with Amendments through 2011, 29 May 1999, Article 55 ).

The measure introduced in 2022, stipulating that lessons up to Year 6 should be conducted in local languages, was repealed by the Ministry of Education in November 2025, and English was reintroduced as the language of instruction for all school levels, including pre-school (BBC, 13 November 2025; APAnews, 13 November 2025).

According to estimates by the Pew Research Centre from November 2025, 56.1 per cent of the population nationwide are Muslim and 43.4 per cent are Christian (as of 2020), whilst around 0.6 per cent belong to another religious community or none at all. At the same time, traditional African religious beliefs also shape people’s faith: according to the survey, seven in ten adults believe that spells, curses or forms of magic can influence a person’s life (Pew Research Centre, 11 November 2025). In another survey from 2010 , 38 per cent of Muslims described themselves as Sunni and 12 per cent as Shia; 42 per cent identified themselves as ‘just a Muslim’. Of the Christians surveyed, around 37 per cent were Catholic and around 60 per cent belonged to a Protestant church (Pew Research Centre, April 2010, pp. 20, 22). Islam predominates in the north-western and north-eastern geopolitical zones, whilst Christianity predominates in the southern zones. In the North-Central zone, the proportion of Muslims and Christians is roughly equal. However, there is no clear geographical division between the religious groups: Christians also live in regions dominated by Islam, just as there are Muslim populations in the predominantly Christian southern regions (USDOS, 26 June 2024). The Constitution (Article 10) prohibits the establishment of a state religion at national or federal level and guarantees individual freedom of religion, including the right to change one’s religion or belief (Article 38) ( Nigeria’s Constitution of 1999 with Amendments through 2011, 29 May 1999 ).

In October 1999, Zamfara State became the first to introduce Sharia law. Eleven other states (Bauchi, Borno, Jigawa, Kano, Katsina, Kebbi, Sokoto, Yobe, Kaduna, Niger and Gombe) with a Muslim majority followed suit (USCIRF, December 2019, p. 8), despite protests from Christians. Clashes ensued in which several thousand people, both Christians and Muslims, died (DW, 27 October 2019).

According to a report by the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF), whilst non-Muslims are not subject to Sharia criminal law, they are indeed subject to certain Islamic authorities, such as the censorship authority in Kano State or the Hisbah, an authority responsible for enforcing Sharia law. This is particularly evident in the enforcement of the state’s ban on the sale of alcohol, but there are also reports of discrimination regarding access to land. Discrimination affects not only Christians, but also Shia Muslims and atheists (USCIRF, December 2019, p. 3). Conversely, Muslims in predominantly Christian regions and followers of traditional religions also report experiences of discrimination (BBC, 16 October 2022). See also the overview of Nigerian legislation compiled by ACCORD. See also Chapter 4 – Conflicts.

3. Political situation - 2023 Elections & Fruther Developments

In February 2023, presidential elections and elections to the National Assembly were held in Nigeria, followed shortly afterwards, on 18 March, by gubernatorial and state assembly elections. According to reports, the elections took place against a backdrop of a difficult security situation, rising poverty, and fuel and cash shortages (KAS, April 2023, p. 2; EU EOM, 27 June 2023, p. 10). This had also led to protests and social unrest (BBC, 15 February 2023). In the presidential election, Bola Tinubu, the candidate of the incumbent All Progressives Congress (APC), emerged as the narrow winner with 36.61 per cent of the vote (KAS, April 2023, p. 3). The Electoral Act stipulates that the candidate who wins the presidential election is the one who (i) receives the most votes and (ii) secures at least 25 per cent of the votes in at least 24 of the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory. Only if no candidate meets these requirements is a run-off election held between the candidates with the most and second-most votes (EU EOM, 27 June 2023, p. 14). Bola Tinubu received at least 25 per cent of the votes in 27 states and was thus the only candidate to fulfil both conditions for an election victory (KAS, April 2023, p. 3). Nigeria’s election process was marred by problems: polling stations opened late, and the election results were not published in real time during the first phase of the count, as promised by the electoral authority. According to the final report of the EU Election Observation Mission, the tabulation process saw a ‘critical failure of the entire electoral process’. When the election results were announced, a quarter of the forms were still not available on the electoral authority’s electronic platform, and a significant proportion of the documents that were already accessible were illegible (EU EOM, 27 June 2023, p. 8). Furthermore, voter turnout was at a “record low” of just 27 per cent (KAS, April 2023, p. 9). The two defeated candidates – Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Party and Peter Obi of the Labour Party – had challenged the results of the presidential election in court. However, their appeals were finally dismissed by the Supreme Court in October 2023 as unfounded (BBC, 26 October 2023).

The International Crisis Group points out that the presidential election in February 2023 laid bare existing ethnic and religious fault lines: in Lagos State in particular, there were ethnic tensions between the Yoruba, who supported Bola Tinubu, and supporters of Peter Obi, an Igbo. Peter Obi would have been the first Igbo president since 1966. The feeling of continuing political exclusion, coupled with tensions with other ethnic groups, could strengthen support amongst the large Igbo population in the south-east for the call for an independent Biafra and intensify separatist aspirations. Furthermore, many Christian groups rejected the election result, not only because a Muslim had once again been elected president, but also because Bola Tinubu had appointed a Muslim as vice-president (instead of, in accordance with unwritten rules, appointing a vice-president from the other denomination) (International Crisis Group, 26 May 2023).

In the National Assembly elections, too, the APC received the most votes and remains, albeit with fewer seats than in the previous parliamentary term, the strongest party in both houses of parliament, ahead of the Peoples Democratic Party, the Labour Party and smaller parties (KAS, April 2023, pp. 3–4). (→ ecoi.net search on the 2023 elections)

In July 2025, the two defeated presidential candidates announced their intention to join forces under the banner of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) for the next elections, scheduled for 2027 (BBC, 7 July 2025). Following internal conflicts within the ADC, Peter Obi and Rabiu Kwankwaso, who came fourth in the 2023 presidential elections, defected to the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) in May 2026. The next elections are scheduled for January 2027 (BBC, 4 May 2026).

Economic reforms introduced by the Tinubu government led to rising inflation, increased poverty and, in August 2024, nationwide protests under the hashtag #EndBadGovernance. The authorities responded to the protests, in some cases using force; several people were killed and many more were arrested (HRW, 16 January 2025). Some of those detained, including minors, were charged with high treason (Amnesty International, November 2024, p. 9). After images of the minors in the courtroom sparked public outrage in November 2024, President Tinubu ordered their release and the dismissal of all charges (BBC, 5 November 2024). In December 2025, the high treason case against 11 activists was dismissed (The Guardian Nigeria, 11 December 2025).

As early as October 2020, during a nationwide protest movement – then under the hashtag #EndSARS against the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS), a special unit of the police accused of widespread human rights violations – security forces had used violent force against the demonstrators (HRW, 19 October 2021). According to an investigation by Amnesty International, at least 12 people were killed by security forces in Lagos during these events. Judicial commissions of inquiry set up to investigate allegations of police violence have made little progress, and no charges have been brought against the security personnel involved (Amnesty International, 19 October 2021; see also Premium Times Nigeria, 6 January 2026). (→ ecoi.net search on protests since 2020)

4. Conflicts

The security situation in many parts of the country remains challenging, with the Islamist groups Boko Haram and Islamic State West Africa Province (Islamic State West Africa Province, ISWAP) in the north-east; conflicts between herders and settled farmers in the North-West and North-Central geopolitical zones; the separatist movement for an independent Biafra in the south-east; and criminal groups in the Niger Delta (International Crisis Group, 10 February 2023, p. i; see also BBC, 28 November 2025).

Boko Haram and ISWAP have been weakened by government military counter-offensives and internal rivalries; furthermore, between mid-2021 and the end of 2022, more than 83,000 members and their families surrendered to Nigerian armed forces. Nevertheless, both groups remain active in the north-east (International Crisis Group, 10 February 2023, p. 4; see also Global Centre for the Responsibility to Protect, 16 March 2026), whilst Ansaru, a Boko Haram splinter group, has expanded its activities to the north-west of the country, in the region around Kainji Lake National Park (in the states of Niger and Kwara). However, the group is reported to have been significantly weakened since the arrest of its leaders in August 2025. Other Islamist groups active in the region include a Boko Haram-affiliated group led by a certain ‘Sadiku’, alias Abubakar Saidu (TNH, 18 December 2025; see also Premium Times Nigeria, 2 January 2026), the Mahmuda – a suspected Boko Haram splinter group – and the Lakurawa: The Mahmuda present themselves as more moderate than Boko Haram and preach in Hausa and other local languages to recruit new members (BBC, 28 November 2025; ADF, 10 June 2025). The group is responsible for targeted killings and attacks on local communities, markets and vigilante groups set up to protect against bandits (BBC, 28 November 2025). The Lakurawa were originally welcomed by local communities to assist them in the fight against bandits, but subsequently turned against these communities in order to impose their vision of Islamic rule (Igwe, 27 January 2025; see also BBC, 28 November 2025). The group is accused of cattle rustling, kidnappings for ransom and attacks on high-ranking government officials (BBC, 28 November 2025). There is growing concern regarding links between the Mahmuda (ADF, 10 June 2025) and the Lakurawa and Islamist groups in the Sahel region (BBC, 28 November 2025; Jamestown, 20 November 2025).

In December 2025, US forces bombed positions held by fighters linked to the Islamic State (IS) group in Sokoto State in the north-west of the country, on the border with Niger (BBC, 27 December 2025). The US government described the military strike as a response to the targeted persecution and killing of Christians by terrorists, whilst the Nigerian government, which had supported the operation, stated that it was an operation against terrorists who were causing suffering amongst the civilian population in the northern states (Premium Times Nigeria, 26 December 2025), and “which had nothing to do with any particular religion” (BBC, 27 December 2025). President Trump had previously designated Nigeria as a ‘Country of Particular Concern’ – meaning a country where particularly severe violations of religious freedom occur (USDOS, undated) – and threatened military strikes should Nigeria fail to take action against the killing of Christians by Islamists (International Crisis Group, 7 November 2025). Nigerian government officials rejected claims of a ‘genocide against Christians’; they stated that the victims of the numerous armed groups active in the country (see Chapter Four, ‘Conflicts’) included members of all religions and faiths (Premium Times Nigeria, 26 December 2025).

Criminal groups are also active in this region, attacking security personnel and government facilities (International Crisis Group, 10 February 2023), as well as kidnapping civilians to extort ransoms, levying taxes on the local population (BBC, 28 November 2025), extorting protection money, looting or stealing livestock. More than 100 gangs, with up to 30,000 members, are reported to be active in the north-west. The largest of these are said to be capable of fielding up to 2,000 fighters, which is roughly equivalent to the strength of two battalions of the Nigerian Army (TNH, 30 January 2023; see also The Soufan Centre, 22 August 2025).

In this region, the Middle Belt, there is also a long-standing conflict between settled farmers and nomadic herders, which is essentially about land-use rights but is increasingly being framed in terms of ethnic/religious identities – with farmers being predominantly Christian and Fulani herders predominantly Muslim (DW, 3 November 2025). However, there are indications of links between Boko Haram and herder militias ( Olumba, 19 October 2022, p. 1 and footnote 8 ). (→ ecoi.net search: herders) (→ ecoi.net search: Boko Haram). Furthermore, bandit groups recruit their members predominantly from among Fulani herders (BBC, 28 November 2025; The Soufan Centre, 22 August 2025).

The New York-based Soufan Centre describes the security situation in the region as characterised by the convergence of the criminal economy, local social ills and militant Islamist groups, which leads to a blurring of the lines between organised crime and ideology (The Soufan Centre, 22 August 2025; see also GGA, 3 June 2025). The year 2025 saw numerous attacks by armed groups on civilians, resulting in many fatalities, as well as a resurgence of mass abductions, particularly from schools and religious institutions (Premium Times Nigeria, 2 January 2026; see also The Soufan Centre, 22 August 2025; IPS, 28 November 2025). Between 17 and 25 November 2025 alone, 402 people, most of them schoolchildren, were abducted in the states of Niger, Kebbi, Kwara and Borno (OHCHR, 25 November 2025).

In south-eastern Nigeria, the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) and their armed wing, the Eastern Security Network, are fighting for an independent Biafra, which would encompass the South-East geopolitical zone and parts of the South-South zone. Since 2021, there have been numerous attacks on security personnel and government facilities, for which these two groups have been held responsible. The IPOB rejects these allegations and states that it is merely taking action against Fulani herders and criminal groups (International Crisis Group, 10 February 2023, p. 5). Their leader, Nnamdi Kanu, was sentenced to life imprisonment by a Nigerian court in November 2025 on terrorism charges (BBC, 20 November 2025). (→ecoi.net search: Biafra)

5. Sources

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USDOS – US Department of State: 2023 Report on International Religious Freedom: Nigeria, 26 June 2024,
https://www.ecoi.net/en/document/2111576.html

USDOS – US Department of State: Countries of Particular Concern, Special Watch List Countries, Entities of Particular Concern, undated,
https://www.state.gov/countries-of-particular-concern-special-watch-list-countries-entities-of-particular-concern/