Refugee Problems and Implications for Nigerian National Security

Abstract

National security is an issue of cardinal concern to all sovereign states. In the light of this, this study examines the security implication of refugee hosting for Nigeria as a country of asylum. The security issues are investigated along the immigration compromises in the process of the admission of refugees as well as along the security events experienced among the refugees in Nigeria. Primary data for the study was obtained from the National Commission for Refugees (NCFR), the refugee camp officials, local communities and local government authorities in which the refugee communities are located as well as from the officials of security outfits at the border areas in Borno state. The UN Convention for contracting states on refugee was reviewed to determine the expected immigration compromises as well as their security implications. The country's legal procedure for refugee management as adopted from the UN and OAU conventions was used as a framework. The experiences of the National Commission for Refugees (NCFR) was taken as representative in assessing the security implications of refugee management in the country. In addition, the experiences of the local communities and local government authorities in which refugee communities are located and the observations of the security agencies in the border areas were taken as complementary and corroborative of the findings from the refugee communities. The findings revealed 6,600 officially known refugees in the country with their nationalities as; Cameroonians (2,132) - 32.3%, Liberians (1,820) - 27.58%, Sierra Leoneans (1,580) - 23.94% and Chadians (630) - 9.55%. Others are Sudanese, Rwandese, Congolese (DRC), and Burundian (438) - 6.63%. The security situations experienced at the various refugee communities revealed that only security issues of low consequences were noted at the Oru Camp. Issues of high security eventualities, such as attack of refugees by unknown persons and participation in ethnic crises were experienced at the Maiduguri camp whereas these among other high security issues such as hard drug consumption, sexual assault, possession of arm and armed robbery were experienced at higher frequencies at Gambaru Ngala and Mungunu refugee communities. The study underscores the need to strategise in order to ameliorate if not eradicate these security implications. This study recommends a strategic study of Nigeria with the hope of coming up with appropriate locations for the nation's refugee camps; as well as a study on security issues stemming from illegal immigrants such as economic immigrants and the 'orbit refugees' in the country.