Nigeria Security situation Country of Origin Information Report June 2021 More information on the European Union is available on the Internet (http://europa.eu) PDF ISBN978-92-9465-082-5 doi: 10.2847/433197 BZ-08-21-089-EN-N © European Asylum Support Office, 2021 Reproduction is authorised provided the source is acknowledged. For any use or reproduction of photos or other material that is not under the EASO copyright, permission must be sought directly from the copyright holders. Cover photo@ EU Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid - Left with nothing: Boko Haram's displaced @ EU/ECHO/Isabel Coello (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0), 16 June 2015 ‘Families staying in the back of this church in Yola are from Michika, Madagali and Gwosa, some of the areas worst hit by Boko Haram attacks in Adamawa and Borno states. Living conditions for them are extremely harsh. They have received the most basic emergency assistance, provided by our partner International Rescue Committee (IRC) with EU funds. “We got mattresses, blankets, kitchen pots, tarpaulins…” they said.’ Country of origin information report | Nigeria: Security situation Acknowledgements EASO would like to acknowledge Stephanie Huber, Founder and Director of the Asylum Research Centre (ARC) as the co-drafter of this report. The following departments and organisations have reviewed the report together with EASO: The Netherlands, Ministry of Justice and Security, Office for Country Information and Language Analysis Austria, Federal Office for Immigration and Asylum, Country of Origin Information Department (B/III), Africa Desk Austrian Centre for Country of Origin and Asylum Research and Documentation (ACCORD) It must be noted that the drafting and review carried out by the mentioned departments, experts or organisations contributes to the overall quality of the report, but does not necessarily imply their formal endorsement of the final report, which is the full responsibility of EASO. 3 Country of origin information report | Nigeria: Security situation Contents Acknowledgements ................................................................................................................................. 3 Contents .................................................................................................................................................. 4 Disclaimer.............................................................................................................................................. 10 Glossary and abbreviations ................................................................................................................... 11 Introduction .......................................................................................................................................... 14 Aim .................................................................................................................................................... 14 Methodology .................................................................................................................................... 14 Defining the terms of reference ................................................................................................... 14 Collecting information .................................................................................................................. 14 Quality control .............................................................................................................................. 15 Sources ......................................................................................................................................... 15 Structure and use of the report ........................................................................................................ 17 Map ....................................................................................................................................................... 18 1. General description of the security situation in Nigeria ................................................................... 19 1.1 Key information on Nigeria ......................................................................................................... 19 1.2 Brief overview of recent conflicts ............................................................................................... 21 1.3 Armed actors .............................................................................................................................. 23 1.3.1 State armed forces .............................................................................................................. 23 1.3.2 Non-state armed actors ...................................................................................................... 30 1.4 Recent security trends and armed confrontations ..................................................................... 40 1.4.1 Armed confrontations since 2018 ....................................................................................... 40 1.4.2 Security trends in 2020........................................................................................................ 53 1.4.3 Security trends in January-April 2021 ................................................................................. 58 1.5 State ability to secure law and order .......................................................................................... 59 1.5.1 North-East Region ............................................................................................................... 59 1.5.2 North-West Region .............................................................................................................. 61 1.5.3 Niger Delta........................................................................................................................... 62 1.5.4 Nationwide protests against police brutality ...................................................................... 63 1.6 Impact of the violence on the civilian population ...................................................................... 63 1.6.1 Civilian casualties ................................................................................................................ 63 1.6.2 Road security ....................................................................................................................... 66 1.6.3 Infrastructural damage and explosive remnants of war ..................................................... 67 4 Country of origin information report | Nigeria: Security situation 1.6.4 Displacement and return .................................................................................................... 68 2. Description of security situation per state ........................................................................................ 74 North-West Region ............................................................................................................................... 74 2.1 Jigawa state ................................................................................................................................ 75 2.1.1 General description of the state ......................................................................................... 75 2.1.2 Conflict background and armed actors ............................................................................... 75 2.1.3 Recent security trends and impact on the population........................................................ 76 2.2 Kaduna state ............................................................................................................................... 78 2.2.1 General description of the state ......................................................................................... 78 2.2.2 Conflict background and armed actors ............................................................................... 79 2.2.3 Recent security trends and impact on the population........................................................ 79 2.3 Kano state ................................................................................................................................... 85 2.3.1 General description of the state ......................................................................................... 85 2.3.2 Conflict background and armed actors ............................................................................... 86 2.3.3 Recent security trends and impact on the population........................................................ 86 2.4 Katsina state ............................................................................................................................... 89 2.4.1 General description of the state ......................................................................................... 89 2.4.2 Conflict background and armed actors ............................................................................... 90 2.4.3 Recent security trends and impact on the population........................................................ 90 2.5 Kebbi state .................................................................................................................................. 95 2.5.1 General description of the state ......................................................................................... 95 2.5.2 Conflict background and armed actors ............................................................................... 96 2.5.3 Recent security trends and impact on the population.......................................................