In Nigeria, there were 400,000 new internally displaced persons in 2021. Of this number, 376,000 were displaced due to internal conflict in the country, accounting for 94% of the total number of displaced persons in 2021.
Data shows that the country has recorded 10.53 million new internally displaced persons between 2009 and 2021, and the cause of displacement is categorised into conflicts and disasters.
Between 2019 and 2021, displaced persons as a result of conflict were 4.44 million persons, while those displaced by disaster stood at 6.09 million. The overall cumulative proportion of conflict to disaster in that period is 42.12% to 57.88%.
The proportion of new persons displaced by conflict to those displaced by disaster was less than 4% in 2009 and 2010. However, the proportion increased thereafter, except in 2011.
The number of those displaced by conflict in 2009 and 2010 was 5000 each. This figure increased to 65,000 in 2011. This shows that conflict accounted for a 1200% increase in the number of displaced persons in 2011 compared to 2010.
Though the number dropped in 2012 with new internally displaced people being 63,000, it increased to hundredths of thousand in 2013 with 471,000 persons displaced internally across the country.
Conflict displacement accounted for over 60% of total displacement from 2013 to 2021, except in 2020 when it was 37.7%.
Conflicts like the Boko haram insurgency, farmer-herds clashes, mass kidnapping by bandits, and other such issues led to the increasing number of displaced persons.
Disasters at different locations across the country are the other reasons for internal displacements. These disasters are predominantly weather related disasters, storms and especially floods. Of the 6.09 million displaced because of disaster, flooding accounted for 6.07 million of them. Thus, 99.7% of disaster displacement across the country were as a result of flooding occurrences.
There has been an increment in the number of internally displaced persons (IDP) camps across the country. The country currently has 143,110 camps. These camps are often crowded, and the people live in deplorable conditions as the existing facilities are stretched beyond their capacity.
The total number of displacement stood at 2.182 million people by the end of 2021. With Nigeria having the third-largest number of people displaced internally globally.
Nigeria and other sub-Saharan countries, North Africa combined with the Middle East account for 57% of displaced persons globally.