Insecurity: UNHCR Says 64,000 Nigerians Have Escaped to Niger Republic in 2026

The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has reported that nearly 64,000 Nigerians have crossed into Niger Republic since January 2026, fleeing attacks by Islamist militants and armed criminal gangs.

The latest displacement figure adds to the growing number of Nigerians seeking refuge in neighbouring countries because of persistent insecurity, conflict and other humanitarian challenges.

In a report monitored on Radio France International (RFI) Hausa Service, UNHCR said about 327,500 Nigerians were already living as refugees in Niger, which accommodates more than 500,000 refugees and asylum-seekers.

The agency also reported that several hundred Nigerians had crossed into Benin Republic.

According to the report, the majority of the latest arrivals settled in Diffa and Tahoua, with Diffa receiving more than 23,000 people since January. Over two-thirds of those who arrived in the region were children.

UNHCR expressed concern over the living conditions of displaced families, noting that many were staying in temporary shelters without adequate access to food, safe water and medical care.

It also warned of increasing cases of malnutrition and respiratory infections among the affected population.

The agency disclosed that only around five per cent of Nigerians who arrived in Niger this year had completed formal registration, leaving many unable to access humanitarian support and basic services.

To address the growing humanitarian needs, UNHCR appealed for $11.4 million to support operations in Nigeria, Niger and Benin. Of the amount, $2 million is required for immediate assistance covering food, water, shelter, healthcare and protection.

In a related development, the Federal Government, UNHCR and the German government have launched a mobile service delivery programme to tackle identification and documentation barriers affecting approximately 3.7 million Nigerians displaced by conflict, insecurity and natural disasters.

The initiative, known as One Motor, Plenty Services, will operate through 10 specially equipped mobile centres handed over to selected state governments.

The centres will provide several essential services, including the issuance of National Identification Numbers (NIN), birth certificates, Bank Verification Numbers (BVN), SIM registration, bank account opening and registration in the National Social Register.

The programme is expected to improve access to government services for internally displaced persons, refugees and vulnerable residents of hard-to-reach communities.

At the handover ceremony, the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction, Dr Bernard Doro, said the initiative was designed to ensure that vulnerable citizens were not excluded from government programmes because of their location, displacement status or inability to provide identification.

“For millions of our citizens, the problem is not merely that services do not exist. The problem is that those services most often do not reach them,” Doro said.

“They are invisible to the very system that has been designed to care for them. So today, we are changing the narrative. We are changing the direction of travel. When people cannot reach essential services, we must bring those services directly to them,” he added.

The minister described identity documentation as a fundamental requirement for accessing economic opportunities, social protection and government assistance.

“This matters because ID is the first step out of poverty. You cannot be paid if you cannot be identified. You cannot be protected if you cannot be counted. Every NIN issued and every account opened from these vehicles is a person moving from the margins into the system,” he said.

Doro further urged the beneficiary states to ensure that the mobile centres remained operational, warning against abandoning the vehicles after the handover.

“Today, we hand you more than vehicles. We hand you a responsibility. These units must not sit in government car parks. They must be fueled, maintained, secured and kept on the road, reaching the last camp, the last village and the last family,” he stated.