- Introduction
- Guidance note
- Common analysis
- General remarks
- 1. Actors of persecution or serious harm
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2. Refugee status
- Preliminary remarks
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Analysis of particular profiles
- 2.1. Individuals targeted by Boko Haram
- 2.2. (Perceived) Boko Haram members or supporters
- 2.3. Members of separatist movements and individuals perceived as supporting them
- 2.4. Members of militant groups in the Niger Delta and individuals perceived as supporting them
- 2.5. Members and perceived supporters of political parties
- 2.6. Individuals involved in and affected by conflicts between herders and farmers
- 2.7. Human rights activists, bloggers, journalists and other media workers
- 2.8. Christian and Muslim minorities in specific areas
- 2.9. Individuals accused of witchcraft
- 2.10. Individuals with albinism
- 2.11. Individuals fearing ritual killing
- 2.12. Individuals refusing chieftaincy titles
- 2.13. Individuals targeted by student cults
- 2.14. LGBTIQ persons
- 2.15. Victims of human trafficking, including forced prostitution
- 2.16. Women and girls
- 2.17. Children
- 2.18. Persons with disabilities or severe medical issues, including mental health issues
- 2.19. Individuals accused of crimes in Nigeria
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3. Subsidiary protection
- 3.1. Article 15(a) QD
- 3.2. Article 15(b) QD
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3.3. Article 15(c) QD
- Preliminary remarks
- 3.3.1. Armed conflict (international or internal)
- 3.3.2. Qualification of a person as a ‘civilian’
- 3.3.3. Indiscriminate violence
- 3.3.4. Serious and individual threat
- 3.3.5. Qualification of the harm as ‘threat to (a civilian’s) life or person
- 3.3.6. Nexus/’by reason of’
- 4. Actors of protection
- 5. Internal protection alternative
- 6. Exclusion
- Abbreviations and glossary
- Country of origin information references
- Relevant case law
[Security situation 2021, 1.3.1, 1.3.2, 1.4.1]
In Nigeria, a wide range of different groups and individuals can be considered as actors of persecution or serious harm. Moreover, the distinction or relationship between certain actors is not always clear and may evolve with the changing security context. The motivation of some actors of persecution or serious harm may also be complex and multifaceted and change over time.
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The Nigerian state forces control the majority of the territory of Nigeria.
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In the period from January 2017 to December 2019, military operations by the Nigerian security forces against ISWAP and JAS, often viewed together as Boko Haram, reduced the territorial control of these armed groups. However, Boko Haram still exercises control in some areas in the North-East region. Boko Haram has further expanded its activities in the North-West and in Niger state in the North-Central region.
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Herders and farmers conflicts take place mainly in the Middle Belt zone, encompassing states in the North-West, North-East, and North-Central regions, and increasingly in southern Nigeria.
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Separatist movements concentrate their activities in the South-East and South-South regions.
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Cults are particularly relevant in the South-West and South-South regions.
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Criminal gangs are particularly active in the North-West and in North-Central regions, in particular Niger state, and the Niger Delta.