IOM records 737,000 displaced in Northwest
The IOM has recorded 737,000 internally displaced persons across the Northwest, with Katsina and Zamfara accounting for the highest numbers, while insecurity and climate shocks drive displacement.
The International Organisation for Migration (IOM) says 737,073 Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) have been recorded across the Northwest, with 147,000 returnees also documented. Sharon Dimanche, Chief of Mission, IOM Nigeria, disclosed this virtually during a press conference in Katsina on Friday. She said the figures were contained in the organisation’s latest Displacement Tracking Matrix (DTM) assessment.
Dimanche said Katsina had almost 181,000 displaced persons, while neighbouring Zamfara recorded more than 261,000. The IOM chief added that over 37,000 returnees had been recorded in Katsina alone. She said about 620,000 people, representing approximately 84 per cent of those displaced across the Northwest, were forced from their communities by armed banditry and kidnapping.
The numbers are staggering. Over 700,000 people displaced in the Northwest alone. The crisis is not just about movement; it is about loss of homes, livelihoods and safety. The fact that 84% of those displaced were forced out by armed banditry is a damning indictment of the security situation. The displacement crisis has national implications, affecting food production, education and social cohesion.
This echoes the 2022 displacement crisis in the Northeast, which also saw millions displaced. The mechanism then was different, but the result was the same: a humanitarian crisis that the government is struggling to address.
The winners: the IOM, which is tracking the crisis; and the humanitarian organisations providing aid. The losers: the 737,000 displaced persons, who have lost their homes; and the Nigerian government, which must address the root causes of displacement.
Bottom Line: Over 700,000 people have been displaced in the Northwest. The crisis is deepening. The question is whether the government will act or the numbers will continue to rise.