Country Overview & Political Climate

Nigeria is a federal republic and Africa’s most populous nation, with a democratic system of government that has been in place since 1999. President Bola Tinubu has been in office since May 2023. While Nigeria maintains functioning democratic institutions and a multi-party electoral system, the country faces severe and overlapping security crises, persistent human rights violations by state security forces, endemic corruption across all levels of government, and significant restrictions on civil liberties. The government sometimes took steps to investigate alleged human rights abuses by officials, but prosecution and punishment for such abuses remained rare.

Nigeria’s human rights situation is defined by the intersection of state-actor abuses — including extrajudicial killings, arbitrary detention, and torture — and the violence of multiple active non-state armed groups, including Boko Haram, ISIS-West Africa (ISIS-WA), armed bandit groups, and separatist factions. In August 2024, nationwide #EndBadGovernance protests against economic hardship and poor governance were met with security force violence, mass arrests, and subsequent charges of treason against protesters.

Human Rights Conditions

Extrajudicial Killings and Security Force Violence

Credible reports of arbitrary and unlawful killings by government security forces were documented throughout 2024. During the August 2024 #EndBadGovernance protests, Amnesty International found that police killed at least 24 persons. A 16-year-old boy was killed in Zaria; the army arrested one soldier in connection with the killing and opened an investigation. In April 2024, a military airstrike on a village in Zamfara State killed at least 33 civilians, according to village leaders and residents, despite the military’s claim the strikes had targeted armed bandits. Nigerian Defense Headquarters denied civilian deaths without providing a death toll.

Mass killings by criminal gang and bandit groups occurred nearly every month in the northwestern states. During a five-day period in May 2024, gangs killed 49 persons in Anka Local Government Area of Zamfara State alone.

Arbitrary Arrest, Detention, and Prolonged Pretrial Detention

Security forces have authority to arrest without a warrant when officials reasonably suspect a person of a crime, and they sometimes abused this authority. Despite legal requirements to bring suspects before a magistrate within 48 hours and allow access to lawyers and family members, these requirements were frequently not observed. Bail was often arbitrary or subject to extrajudicial influence; in many areas with no functioning bail system, suspects were incarcerated indefinitely in investigative detention. Numerous detainees reported that police demanded bribes to take them to court hearings or to release them.

Lengthy pretrial detention is a serious and systemic problem. Detainees often waited years to gain access to a court, and in many cases multiple adjournments resulted in years-long delays. Some detainees were held in pretrial detention for periods equal to or exceeding the maximum sentence for the alleged crime. The shortage of trial judges, endemic corruption, bureaucratic inertia, undue political influence, and failure to transport detainees to hearings severely hampered the justice system.

Following the August 2024 protests, Amnesty International found that more than 1,200 individuals were arrested. Authorities charged at least 76 persons with treason and conspiracy to incite a mutiny — charges carrying a possible death penalty. Security services raided civil society organizations including the Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project and the National Labour Congress (NLC) headquarters in apparent attempts at intimidation. In September, police arrested NLC leader Joe Ajaero at the airport on alleged terrorism financing charges; he was released hours later. The International Trade Union Confederation condemned these actions as a campaign of harassment.

Enforced Disappearances

Reports of enforced disappearances by government authorities continued in 2024. Amnesty International documented that the whereabouts of dozens of young men detained at a former SARS police station in Anambra State remained unaccounted for since SARS was officially disbanded in 2020. Cases from Rivers and Abia States involving individuals taken into custody between 2012 and 2022 also remained unresolved, with no information provided to families. Some victims were suspected of IPOB movement involvement.

Torture and Inhumane Treatment

Although Nigerian law defines and criminalizes torture, it fails to prescribe penalties for violators and applies directly only in the Federal Capital Territory and to federal agencies. Impunity for torture is a significant and persistent problem across police, military, and Department of State Services (DSS) units. In March 2024, the former editor of FirstNews Online, Segun Olatunji, was detained by the Defence Intelligence Agency for two weeks — five days of which were incommunicado — and subsequently reported being tortured, threatened, and interrogated about his corruption reporting.

Prison guards committed gender-based violence against women prisoners. Security officers allegedly sexually abused and exploited internally displaced persons, including children, in and around Maiduguri. The government claimed to investigate security force members for crimes committed on duty, but results were rarely made public.

Female genital mutilation/cutting (FGM/C) remains a serious concern. Though criminalized under federal law, enforcement is rare. A 2022 UN Population Fund report found that a quarter of Nigerian women and girls had undergone FGM/C, with enforcement of existing state bans inconsistent.

Freedom of Expression and Press

The government restricted freedom of expression and press in multiple documented instances during 2024. Security services detained, harassed, or attacked at least 56 journalists during the August #EndBadGovernance protests, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists. In May 2024, police arrested investigative journalist Daniel Ojukwu following his reporting on alleged corruption by a senior government official; he was held for nine days, five of which were incommunicado. The government used broad “cyberbullying” charges to arrest internet users who posted criticism of public figures. Journalists and NGOs reported security services pressured editors and media owners to censor coverage critical of the government, and many journalists practiced self-censorship. Following the August protests, the Nigerian Immigration Service stated it had placed diaspora citizens suspected of supporting the protests on a watchlist, to be detained upon return, and had frozen the bank accounts of suspect foreign residents.

Armed Conflict and Non-State Actor Violence

Nigeria faces active insurgencies and armed group violence across multiple regions:

Northeast — Boko Haram and ISIS-West Africa: These designated Foreign Terrorist Organizations continued attacks on government and civilian targets throughout 2024, resulting in thousands of deaths, widespread property destruction, and displacement of over 3.6 million internally displaced persons (IDPs) and 383,000 Nigerian refugees in Chad, Cameroon, and Niger. Both groups engaged in widespread gender-based violence against women and girls, including forced marriage, sexual slavery, and rape. Women suicide bombers conducted a series of coordinated attacks in Borno State in June 2024, killing at least 20 people. Children continued to be unlawfully recruited and forcibly conscripted by both groups. Women and girls rescued from Boko Haram or ISIS-WA captivity were in some cases inappropriately detained by government security forces for prolonged periods for “security screening.”

Northwest — Armed Bandit Groups: Bandit groups operate extensively throughout the Northwest, rustling cattle, attacking and pillaging villages, and conducting mass kidnappings for ransom. Some groups control territory and extract taxes and protection payments from residents. The Nigerian government designated these groups as terrorists in early 2022, and the military has engaged them through ground operations and airstrikes — some of which have caused civilian deaths. Bandit groups are responsible for more civilian deaths per year than terrorist organizations.

Southeast — IPOB/Eastern Security Network: The armed wing of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) separatist movement, the Eastern Security Network, staged attacks on security personnel, civilians, and government offices including police stations. IPOB conducted a 2023 attack on a U.S. Embassy motorcade resulting in seven deaths. IPOB is designated by the Nigerian government as a proscribed terrorist organization and focuses its violence on Nigerian government targets.

Middle Belt — Intercommunal and Herder-Settler Violence: Incidents of intercommunal violence, including violence between herders and farming communities, occur throughout the Middle Belt and can prompt reprisals, with associated upticks in kidnapping and armed criminality.

Labor Rights

Workers have the legal right to form unions, bargain collectively, and strike, but these rights are substantially restricted in practice. Prior government authorization is required to establish a union; registration requires at least 50 members and cannot proceed if another union is already registered in the same trade. Collective bargaining is limited by National Salaries, Income, and Wages Commission oversight of all wage agreements. Strike rights are restricted to specific categories of labor disputes, and strikes based on disputed national economic policies are prohibited. Workers in export processing zones have significantly fewer protections and are prohibited from striking for 10 years following commencement of employer operations.

The government does not effectively enforce labor laws. Between 70 and 80 percent of Nigeria’s working population is employed in the informal economy, where wage, hour, and occupational safety laws go unenforced. The National Minimum Wage (Amendment) Act 2024 doubled the minimum wage to 70,000 naira (approximately $47.90 per month), but currency devaluation rendered this figure below the poverty income level.

Security & Crime

The U.S. Department of State advises travelers to reconsider travel to Nigeria due to crime, terrorism, civil unrest, kidnapping, and armed gangs. Travel to specific states is further restricted: Borno, Yobe, Kogi, and northern Adamawa states are rated Level 4: Do Not Travel due to terrorism and kidnapping; Bauchi, Gombe, Kaduna, Kano, Katsina, and Zamfara states are rated Level 4 due to kidnapping; and the coastal areas of Akwa Ibom, Bayelsa, Cross River, Delta, and Rivers states (except Port Harcourt) are rated Level 4 due to crime, kidnapping, and armed gangs.

Both Abuja and Lagos are assessed as Critical-threat locations for crime and High-threat locations for both terrorism and political violence. Widespread violent crime and organized crime are present throughout the country, and local law enforcement has limited ability to respond to serious crimes.

Kidnapping for ransom is a serious and escalating security concern across the country, including in areas previously considered more secure such as the Federal Capital Territory and Abuja. Foreign nationals including U.S. citizens have been abducted from residential compounds, public roadways, and oil facilities. Kidnappers have mistreated and injured victims and have killed victims even after receiving ransom payment. Terrorist kidnappings occur most frequently in the Northeast.

Common crimes include muggings, armed robbery, carjacking, burglary, rape, and extortion. Armed robbers target vehicle occupants; smash-and-grab robberies are common at traffic stops. Home invasions target even guarded compounds. “Area Boys” street gang violence occurs periodically in Lagos. Advance-fee fraud (“419” scams), business email compromise, romance scams, and ATM/credit card fraud are pervasive.

Corruption is massive, widespread, and pervasive at all levels of government, including the judiciary and security services. Law enforcement authorities typically respond slowly or not at all to crimes and provide minimal investigative support to victims. The U.S. government has limited ability to provide emergency services to U.S. citizens beyond Abuja and Lagos and their immediate surrounding areas.

Asylum Eligibility Grounds

Persecution by Non-State Actors — Terrorism and Armed Groups: Nigerians — particularly those from the Northeast, Northwest, and Southeast — who have been persecuted or face a well-founded fear of persecution by Boko Haram, ISIS-WA, armed bandit groups, or IPOB-affiliated forces may have viable asylum claims where the Nigerian government has demonstrated an inability to protect them. The displacement of more than 3.6 million people and the scale of ongoing attacks provide substantial evidentiary support. Particular attention should be given to women and girls who have been subjected to forced marriage, sexual slavery, or rape by these groups, and to individuals who have been specifically targeted for kidnapping, extortion, or violence.

Political Opinion — Nigerians who participated in the August 2024 #EndBadGovernance protests and were subsequently arrested, charged with treason, or placed on immigration watchlists, as well as journalists and civil society members targeted for their criticism of the government, may have viable claims based on actual or imputed political opinion. The government’s documented use of treason charges carrying possible death penalties against protesters significantly elevates the severity of the harm.

Particular Social Group — Potentially cognizable PSGs include: journalists and media workers targeted for corruption reporting; human rights defenders and civil society organization staff targeted following the August 2024 protests; women and girls subjected to FGM/C where the government has failed to protect them; women and girls subjected to gender-based violence by Boko Haram or ISIS-WA; members of specific ethnic or religious communities targeted by intercommunal violence or terrorist groups; and individuals suspected by authorities of IPOB membership or sympathy.

Religion — Nigeria experiences serious religious violence, particularly in the Middle Belt and the North, including against Christian communities targeted by Boko Haram, ISIS-WA, and armed groups. Individuals facing persecution based on religion — including blasphemy prosecutions, which carry imprisonment of two to five years under state laws — may have claims based on religion as a protected ground.

Gender-Based Persecution — Nigerian women and girls subjected to FGM/C, forced marriage, domestic violence, or sexual violence by non-state actors where the government has failed to protect them may have viable claims based on membership in a particular social group. The documented scale of FGM/C — affecting a quarter of Nigerian women and girls — and the near-total lack of prosecution support showings of government unwillingness to protect.

Trafficking Victims — Nigeria is a major source, transit, and destination country for human trafficking. Individuals trafficked within Nigeria or transnationally who can demonstrate the government’s failure to protect them may be eligible for asylum or other forms of immigration relief.

Sources: OSAC Nigeria Country Security Report (April 2025); U.S. Department of State Nigeria 2024 Human Rights Report.

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