At least 21,807 foreign refugees and asylum seekers who fled violence in neighbouring countries are currently unregistered in Nigeria, depriving them of access to food assistance, healthcare and other essential humanitarian services, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has disclosed.
Figures contained in the UNHCR’s November 2025 dashboard, obtained by The PUNCH, indicate that the unregistered population is made up largely of asylum seekers from Cameroon’s conflict-affected Anglophone regions.
According to the data, Nigeria is hosting about 127,000 refugees and asylum seekers from 41 countries. Of this figure, 80,915 are recognised refugees, more than 25,000 are asylum seekers undergoing status determination, while 21,807 remain unregistered by the National Commission for Refugees, Migrants and Internally Displaced Persons (NCFRMI).
A review of successive UNHCR dashboards shows that the number of unregistered refugees has fluctuated significantly over the past year. The backlog rose from 21,095 in December 2024 to a peak of 32,750 in June 2025—representing a 55 per cent increase within six months—before declining to 21,807 by November 2025.
The March 2025 dashboard recorded 20,997 individuals awaiting registration, underscoring concerns that new arrivals are outpacing the Federal Government’s capacity to process them.
Unregistered refugees are ineligible for UNHCR food stipends, cash assistance, health insurance and other forms of humanitarian support, leaving thousands struggling to meet basic needs within host communities.
An official familiar with the registration process attributed the delays to staffing shortages, security constraints and logistical challenges, particularly in Borno, Adamawa and Cross River states, which host a large proportion of new arrivals.
“Registration can take weeks or even months, depending on the state and the availability of NCFRMI personnel,” a field officer, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said.
The data shows that Cameroonians constitute the bulk of Nigeria’s refugee population, accounting for about 86 per cent, or an estimated 119,208 people displaced by the eight-year-old Anglophone crisis in Cameroon’s North-West and South-West regions.
Other refugee populations originate from Niger (15,011), Syria (1,330), the Central African Republic (1,053), and the Democratic Republic of Congo (598), among others.
UNHCR statistics indicate that women and girls make up slightly over half of the refugee population, while children account for nearly 60 per cent. Most refugees reside within host communities across Cross River, Taraba, Akwa Ibom, Benue and Adamawa states, rather than in formal camps. Urban centres such as Lagos, Abuja and Kano also host refugees of diverse nationalities, some of whom have lived in Nigeria for more than a decade.
Nigeria’s asylum policy is guided by its obligations under the 1951 Geneva Convention and the 1969 Organisation of African Unity Convention, which require signatory states to grant protection to persons fleeing persecution and conflict.
The NCFRMI, in collaboration with the Nigerian Immigration Service and UNHCR, is responsible for registering asylum seekers and conducting Refugee Status Determination procedures, a process that typically lasts between three and six months. Successful applicants are issued refugee identity cards, granting access to education, work permits and, in principle, freedom of movement beyond designated settlements.
In 2019, Nigeria also began issuing Convention Travel Documents—commonly referred to as refugee passports—to enable international travel. During large-scale influxes, however, individual asylum procedures are often suspended in favour of group or prima facie recognition.
In 2024, the Federal Government granted Temporary Protection Status to 86,000 Cameroonian refugees, valid until June 2027, while about 20,000 Nigerien refugees in Damasak received prima facie recognition.
Commenting on the situation, a former Nigerian Ambassador to Singapore, Ogbole Amedu-Ode, said Nigeria must balance its international obligations with national security concerns.
“Nigeria is a signatory to international conventions that require us to grant asylum to people fleeing persecution, including those from Cameroon, Sudan, Syria and parts of Lebanon,” he said. “However, given the security challenges we face, border control and security agencies must remain vigilant to prevent infiltration for negative purposes.”
The registration backlog comes amid Nigeria’s broader displacement crisis. UNHCR estimates that the country hosts about 3.5 million internally displaced persons, largely in the North-East, due to the Boko Haram and Islamic State West Africa Province insurgencies.
In 2024, severe flooding affected more than 480,000 people across 34 states, including Borno, Adamawa and Yobe, further stretching humanitarian resources. Meanwhile, nearly 408,000 Nigerian refugees remain registered in neighbouring Cameroon, Niger and Chad after fleeing violence in the Lake Chad Basin.
In 2025, UNHCR facilitated the voluntary return of 26,473 Nigerian refugees, following a Tripartite Agreement signed in February between Nigeria and Chad.
Nigeria’s refugee response is coordinated through a Refugee Response Plan involving government agencies, UN bodies, international non-governmental organisations and civil society groups.
