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Additionally, the report stated that 1,345 Nigerians sought asylum in the United Kingdom, while 5,136 sought refuge in the United States of America.
A total of 664,384 Nigerians sought asylum in other countries between 2016 and 2023, during the administration of former President Muhammadu Buhari.
This was disclosed in a report released by Statisense, a data collection organisation, on Wednesday, July 17, 2024, which was shared on its official X (formerly Twitter) account, citing the United Nations Refugee Agency.
This period saw a significant increase in asylum seekers, with 355,792 individuals seeking asylum between 2016 and 2019, and 308,592 between 2020 and 2023.
The report further breaks down the numbers on a year-by-year basis, revealing a steady increase in asylum seekers: 66,862 in 2016, 91,924 in 2017, 84,624 in 2018, 112,382 in 2019, 73,233 in 2020, 83,105 in 2021, 83,402 in 2022, and 68,852 in 2023.
Notably, this surge in asylum seekers represents a significant departure from the previous 12-year period (2004-2015), during which only 204,791 Nigerians sought asylum in other countries.
President Buhari’s tenure spanned from 2015 to 2023, after which President Bola Tinubu took office on May 29, 2023, following his victory in the general elections.
In total, 869,175 Nigerians filed for asylum in the last 20 years, notably from 2004 to 2023.
According to a report released by the organisation on Wednesday, the Republic of Niger had the highest number of Nigerian refugees in 2023, with a total of 200,497 individuals.
This brings the total number of Nigerian refugees in Niger between 2015 and 2023 to 1,268,464. The proximity of Niger to Nigeria’s northern region, where residents face various security challenges such as banditry, terrorism, and herder-farmer conflicts, likely contributes to this trend.
Furthermore, another report revealed that Nigeria topped the list of African countries whose citizens sought asylum in Canada in 2023, with 10,111 individuals seeking refuge. Kenya followed with 1,345 asylum seekers.
Additionally, the report stated that 1,345 Nigerians sought asylum in the United Kingdom, while 5,136 sought refuge in the United States of America.
The report’s findings highlight the growing trend of Nigerians seeking asylum abroad, underscoring the need for policymakers to address the underlying factors driving this migration trends.
