Legal and Institutional Frameworks for Protection of Internally Displaced Persons in Nigeria

Abstract

Over the years, Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in Nigeria have faced a range of challenges. These challenges ranges from starvation to blatant human rights violations. Today, IDPs are amongst the most vulnerable populations in the country, and the need for addressing issues and challenges relating to their rights is inevitable. The Federal Government of Nigeria signed, ratified and deposited her instruments of the African Union (Kampala) Convention (which came into force on 6th December 2012) for the Protection and Assistance of IDPs. Despite being a signatory to the aforementioned convention, the absence of a specific internal law for IDP management is problematic to IDPs management agencies in Nigeria. The aim of this paper is to examine the legal and institutional frameworks for the protection of internally displaced persons in Nigeria