Over 600,000 Nigerians filed for asylum in other countries between 2016 and 2023, a period corresponding to the administration of former President Muhammadu Buhari.
Buhari, who was President from 2015 to 2023, handed over to President Bola Tinubu on May 29, 2023, following Tinubu’s victory in the general elections.
According to a report released on Wednesday, July 17, 2024, by Statisense, a data collection organization, 664,384 Nigerians sought asylum during Buhari’s eight-year tenure.
Of these, 355,792 people sought asylum between 2016 and 2019, while 308,592 did so between 2020 and 2023.
The year-by-year breakdown of asylum seekers is as follows:
- 2016: 66,862
- 2017: 91,924
- 2018: 84,624
- 2019: 112,382
- 2020: 73,233
- 2021: 83,105
- 2022: 83,402
- 2023: 68,852
Statisense noted that between 2004 and 2015, only 204,791 Nigerians filed for asylum in other countries. In total, 869,175 Nigerians sought asylum over the past 20 years, from 2004 to 2023.
The report shared on Statisense’s X.com handle @StatiSense, cites data from the United Nations Refugee Agency.
Additionally, another report by Statisense revealed that the Republic of Niger hosted the most Nigerian refugees in 2023, with approximately 200,497 Nigerians. Between 2015 and 2023, a total of 1,268,464 Nigerian refugees were recorded in Niger.
The proximity of Niger to Nigeria’s northern region, which faces severe insecurity due to banditry, terrorism, and herdsmen-farmers conflicts, likely contributes to these numbers.
The report also noted that Nigerians topped the list of African countries seeking asylum in Canada in 2023, with about 10,111 asylum seekers. This was followed by Kenya, with 1,345 asylum seekers.
Additionally, 1,345 Nigerians sought asylum in the United Kingdom, while 5,136 did so in the United States of America.
