NIGERIA COUNTRY OF ORIGIN INFORMATION (COI) REPORT COI Service 6 January 2012 NIGERIA 6 JANUARY 2012 Contents Preface Latest news EVENTS IN NIGERIA FROM 16 DECEMBER 2011 TO 3 JANUARY 2012 Useful news sources for further information REPORTS ON NIGERIA PUBLISHED OR ACCESSED AFTER 15 DECEMBER 2011 Paragraphs Background Information 1. GEOGRAPHY ............................................................................................................ 1.01 Map ........................................................................................................................ 1.07 2. ECONOMY ................................................................................................................ 2.01 3. HISTORY (1960 – 2011) ........................................................................................... 3.01 Independence (1960) – 2010 ................................................................................ 3.02 Late 2010 to February 2011 ................................................................................. 3.04 4. RECENT DEVELOPMENTS (MARCH 2011 TO NOVEMBER 2011) ...................................... 4.01 Elections: April, 2011 ....................................................................................... 4.01 Inter-communal violence in the middle belt of Nigeria ................................. 4.08 Boko Haram ...................................................................................................... 4.14 Human rights in the Niger Delta .......................................................................... 4.20 5. CONSTITUTION .......................................................................................................... 5.01 6. POLITICAL SYSTEM ................................................................................................... 6.01 Human Rights 7. INTRODUCTION ......................................................................................................... 7.01 8. SECURITY FORCES .................................................................................................... 8.01 Police ..................................................................................................................... 8.04 Armed forces ........................................................................................................ 8.10 Human rights violations by government forces ................................................ 8.13 Arbitrary arrest and detention ............................................................................. 8.13 Torture, ill treatment and use of excessive force ................................................ 8.16 Extra-judicial killings ........................................................................................... 8.21 Avenues of complaint .......................................................................................... 8.25 9. MILITARY SERVICE .................................................................................................... 9.01 10. NON-GOVERNMENT ARMED GROUPS ........................................................................... 10.01 Background .......................................................................................................... 10.01 Groups in the Niger Delta .................................................................................... 10.04 Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND) .............................. 10.07 Government amnesty 2009/2011 ......................................................................... 10.12 11. CRIME AND SECURITY ................................................................................................ 11.01 Cults/gangs ........................................................................................................... 11.02 Separatist violence ............................................................................................... 11.10 Boko Haram .......................................................................................................... 11.11 12. JUDICIARY ................................................................................................................ 12.01 Organisation ......................................................................................................... 12.02 ii The main text of this COI Report contains the most up to date publicly available information as at 15 December 2011. Further brief information on recent events and reports has been provided in the Latest News section to 3 January 2012. 6 JANUARY 2012 NIGERIA Independence ....................................................................................................... 12.03 Fair trial ................................................................................................................. 12.05 Criminal Code ....................................................................................................... 12.07 Shari’a law ............................................................................................................. 12.08 Customary law ...................................................................................................... 12.12 13. ARREST AND DETENTION – LEGAL RIGHTS .................................................................. 13.01 14. PRISON CONDITIONS ................................................................................................. 14.01 15. DEATH PENALTY ....................................................................................................... 15.01 16. POLITICAL AFFILIATION.............................................................................................. 16.01 Freedom of political expression.......................................................................... 16.01 Political violence .................................................................................................. 16.03 Freedom of association and assembly ............................................................... 16.07 17. FREEDOM OF SPEECH AND MEDIA ............................................................................... 17.01 Journalists ............................................................................................................ 17.07 Corruption .......................................................................................................... 17.09 18. HUMAN RIGHTS INSTITUTIONS, ORGANISATIONS AND ACTIVISTS .................................... 18.01 19. CORRUPTION ............................................................................................................ 19.01 20. FREEDOM OF RELIGION .............................................................................................. 20.01 Religious demography ......................................................................................... 20.04 Legal rights ........................................................................................................... 20.05 Government restrictions ...................................................................................... 20.08 Sectarian violence ................................................................................................ 20.11 21. ETHNIC GROUPS ....................................................................................................... 21.01 Societal discrimination ........................................................................................ 21.04 22. LESBIAN, GAY, BISEXUAL AND TRANSGENDER (LGBT) PERSONS ................................. 22.01 Legal rights ........................................................................................................... 22.01 Gay and bisexual men ........................................................................................ 22.03 Lesbian and bisexual women ............................................................................. 22.07 Transgender persons ......................................................................................... 22.09 Treatment by, and attitudes of, state authorities ............................................... 22.10 Societal treatment and attitudes ......................................................................... 22.20 Religion and the gay community ........................................................................ 22.31 LGBT groups ........................................................................................................ 22.38 23. DISABILITY ............................................................................................................... 23.01 24. WOMEN ................................................................................................................... 24.01 Overview ............................................................................................................... 24.01 Legal rights ........................................................................................................... 24.05 Political rights ....................................................................................................... 24.09 Social and economic rights ................................................................................. 24.13 Marriage ............................................................................................................. 24.18 Divorce ............................................................................................................... 24.26 Divorce for Christians