No fewer than 600,000 Nigerians filed for asylum in other countries between 2016 and 2023, under the administration of former President Muhammadu Buhari.
Buhari served as President from 2015 until 2023, when he was succeeded by President Bola Tinubu, who was sworn in on May 29, 2023, following his victory in the general elections that year.
According to a report released on Wednesday, July 17, 2024, by Statisense, a data collection agency, 355,792 people sought refuge between 2016 and 2019, with 308,592 seeking asylum between 2020 and 2023.
In 2016, 66,862 people applied for asylum, followed by 91,924 in 2017, 84,624 in 2018, 112,382 in 2019, 73,233 in 2020, 83,105 in 2021, 83,402 in 2022, and 68,852 in 2023.
According to Statisense, the data show an increase from previous years, since only 204,791 Nigerians applied for refuge in foreign countries between 2004 and 2015.
In total, 869,175 Nigerians have applied for refuge in the last 20 years, primarily from 2004 to 2023.
The study was shared on the organisation’s X page and cited the United Nations Refugee Agency.
According to another report released by the organisation on Wednesday, the Republic of Niger will have the most Nigerian refugees in 2023, with about 200,497 Nigerians, for a total of 1,268,464 Nigerian refugees between 2015 and 2023.
Another report found that Nigerians topped the list of African countries seeking asylum in Canada in 2023, with approximately 10,111 asylum seekers, followed by Kenya with 1,345. It was reported that 1,345 Nigerians sought asylum in the United Kingdom and 5,136 in the United States of America.
