Out of the number, 1.9 million were living in protracted displacement in the Northeastern state of Borno.
A report by the Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre (IDMC) has shown that as of the end of 2022, Nigeria recorded 3.6 million Internationally Displaced Persons (IDPs).
Out of the number, 1.9 million were living in protracted displacement in the Northeastern state of Borno.
Nigeria according to the report recorded the highest disaster displacement in Sub-Saharan Africa in 2022.
IDMC stated that internal displacement in Nigeria is a result of a multitude of complex and often overlapping drivers and triggers, including recurring floods and protracted violence.
It noted that most internal displacements in Nigeria in 2022 were associated with disasters, as the worst floods in a decade hit the country between June and November.
“The floods triggered over 2.4 million displacements, the highest disaster displacement figure in sub-Saharan Africa in 2022.
“Half of the displacements were reported in the southern state of Bayelsa in the Niger river delta, but the states of Anambra and Kogi were also heavily affected.
“Displacement camps in the north-eastern state of Borno were also flooded, forcing thousands of people already displaced by conflict and violence to flee again,” the report stated.
It further stated that more than 676,000 hectares of farmland were destroyed, affecting essential crops such as rice and worsening food insecurity.
“At the end of 2022, hundreds of thousands of houses were still destroyed or damaged, meaning nearly 854,000 people were living in displacement, a significant increase from the 107,000 recorded at the end of 2021.
“Around 148,000 internal displacements were associated with conflict and violence in 2022, the lowest figure since 2012.
“Attacks by Boko Haram and other non-state armed groups (NSAGs), which have been active in the north-east of the country since 2009, continued triggering displacement, but access constraints and insecurity have limited assessments to capture the full scale of the issue.”
IDMC also said that Zamfara State recorded the highest displacement figure in the country with 48,000 movements, while additional 50,000 displacements occurred in Kaduna, Katsina and Benue states.
According to IDMC, the majority of displacements were triggered by attacks from criminal groups or were the result of clashes between farmers and pastoralists, while the new instances of displacement decreased in 2022.
The total number of people internally displaced by conflict and violence as of the end of 2022 was the highest since records began in 2013, pointing to a persistent lack of durable solutions.