Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: Research problem: Over 300,000 Nigerian refugees sought refuge in Niger republic, primarily in the Diffa and Zinder regions, fleeing from Boko Haram and armed banditry.Therefore, this paper analyzes the protection of refugee rights in line with International Refugee Laws of 1951 and other bilateral treaty between the two countries. Despitethese legal protections of refugee, Nigerian refugees face severe challenges,including access to livelihoods, food insecurity, and many forms of abuses.Threat of ‘refoulement’ and harassment, improper refugee documentation, lack of trust in local integration etc. with these therefore, this paper aimed to interrogates the Nigeria- Niger bilateral treaty on refugee’s rights,to determine why the bilateral treaties failed to promote the protection of refugee and completely eliminate refugee’s right violations. Method/theory: This study adopted Liberal Internationalism, the theory believed that international law, economic interdependence, and democratic values can foster peace and protect individual rights, elevating human dignity above national sovereignty. The study used mixed method through questionnaire, FGD, interview and documents. A descriptive-qualitative analysis was also utilised. Result: The study found out that Poverty in Niger, the security consciousness, and un-organised nature of the refugees (the refugees are scattered around the border communities and the economic opportunity towns), as the result of cultural affinities, are the factors responsible of poor refugee management in Niger republic. Conclusion: The protection of Nigerian refugee rights in Niger remains a delicate balance between legal ideals and the harsh realities of the two countries. While bilateral cooperation has demonstrated resilience through various political shifts, the path forward requires sustained commitment to cross-border security and the socio-economic integration of refugees to ensure their rights are not just recognized on paper, but realized in practice but the result is not encouraging. Key contribution: The paper established that the security cooperation along the north-east border has improved, and the movement of the displaced persons has decreased, there are number of Nigerian refugees voluntarily returned to Nigeria in 2023 with no refoulment threat (UNHRC, 2023). Recommendations: Strict compliance to international refugee law is vital here, which provide that the refugee can be incorporated in to the community and be given all economic right for survival. Preferably, adoption of a more comprehensive policy framework by both nations through bilateral treaty is required to transition from emergency humanitarian relief to durable solutions like local integration or voluntary return.
Author: NAZIRU HARUNA
Institution: Gombe State University
Language: English
Subfield: Law
Field: Social Sciences
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: diamond
OpenAlex ID: W7164683068