The National Commission for Refugees, Migrants, and Internally Displaced Persons has said despite established legal frameworks for the safety and protection of humanitarian workers, Nigeria has seen a disturbing trend of increasing attacks on the aid workers, especially in areas affected by terrorism and other criminalities.
The commission’s federal commissioner, Ahmed Tijani, who made the disclosure also said that in Nigeria, humanitarian workers frequently found themselves in the crossfire of non-state armed groups.
Between 2020 and 2024, there have been 49 reported incidents affecting 79 humanitarian workers, including the tragic killing of an aid worker from Médecins du Monde, the wounding of a UN pilot, and the attack on the United Nations Aid Facility in Borno State, which resulted in the deaths of at least 20 internally displaced persons and forced aid workers to flee for safety.
“In 2024 alone, no fewer than 26 humanitarian workers in Nigeria have been kidnapped, ambushed, or assaulted while carrying out their duties,” Mr Tijani said yesterday at a press conference to mark World Humanitarian Day 2024, under the theme “ActForHumanity.”
Nigeria has been deeply affected by conflicts that have displaced millions and created an urgent need for humanitarian assistance.
He said the attacks are not just crimes against individuals; they are blatant violations of international humanitarian law. The Geneva Conventions, to which all African nations are signatories, stipulates that the intentional targeting of humanitarian workers is a war crime. “Such acts violate the core principles of humanity, neutrality, impartiality, and independence that guide humanitarian action,” he said at the press conference in Abuja.
The federal commissioner said humanitarian workers serve as lifelines to millions of people in distress, often putting themselves in grave danger to provide food, medical care, shelter, and hope.
Tijani said the authorities must ensure that the legal frameworks for the safety of aid workers are robust enough to prosecute those who commit such violations, with a focus on ending the cycle of impunity as the protection of humanitarian workers and civilians is a moral imperative.
He assured the humanitarian workers, especially those in his agency of his commitment to better working conditions. “I will work tirelessly to improve your compensations as nobody deserves better remuneration than the people who support our most vulnerable populations… I stand with you and commit to advocating for a world where humanitarian workers are valued, respected, and protected.”
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