More than 7,000 Nigerian refugees have voluntarily returned home from neighbouring countries in 2026, Dr. Bernard Doro, Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction, announced on Monday, October 13, 2026, at the 77th Session of the UNHCR Executive Committee in Geneva, Switzerland.
According to Punch Newspapers, Doro delivered Nigeria's national statement at the session, which runs from October 12 to 16, and the numbers tell a story of a country slowly winning back its own. Another 14,000 Nigerian refugees in Cameroon have registered their intention to come home, while an agreement covering the return of 2,000 Nigerians from Niger is being finalised.
Why Nigerians Are Coming Home
Doro credited the return wave to improved security conditions in parts of the country, which he said have created openings for refugees to return voluntarily under Tripartite Agreements signed with host countries.
Improved security conditions in parts of the country are creating opportunities for voluntary return, Doro said.
The Minister added that Resettlement Cities established in seven locations are supporting the phased closure of displacement camps under conditions of safety and dignity. This is the practical side of sovereignty: Nigerians rebuilding Nigeria, on Nigerian soil, with Nigerian institutions leading the work.
The Bigger Picture: Returns, IDPs and Hosting Others
The figures Doro laid before the Geneva gathering go beyond the returnees. Nigeria received more than 24,000 returnees as of September 2026 and is managing a population of over 6.7 million internally displaced persons.
At the same time, the country hosts more than 142,000 refugees and asylum seekers from 42 countries. That is Nigeria carrying its weight on the continent, sheltering others while bringing its own people home, and doing it while Western media continues to push tired narratives of African failure.
Nigeria maintains its asylum system under the National Commission for Refugees, Migrants and Internally Displaced Persons (NCFRMI) Act of 2022. Doro also confirmed that no case of refoulement had been recorded in Nigeria in 2026, meaning no refugee was forcibly returned to a place where their life or freedom would be threatened.
From Aid to Self-Reliance
Beyond the returns, Doro highlighted Nigeria's push to make refugees economically active rather than dependent on handouts. Refugees in five states are benefiting from access to land, agricultural inputs and skills training, while the NCFRMI's newly established Public-Private Partnership Department is working to expand livelihood opportunities.
He cited the successful local integration of former Liberian and Sierra Leonean refugees, some of whom have established businesses and become economically active members of their host communities. That is the African way: nobody stays a stranger forever, and nobody stays a passenger in their own economy.
On essential services, displaced persons and host communities are being enrolled in Nigeria's national identity system to facilitate access to banking, education and social services. Refugees are being incorporated into state action plans and social registers, and 10 mobile documentation buses will extend identity services to underserved and remote communities. Nigeria is also developing a Digital Gateway with UNHCR to give refugees secure online access to information.
Nigeria Tells the World: Share the Responsibility
Doro did not shy away from the financing question. He called for stronger international responsibility-sharing and innovative financing arrangements, arguing that host countries cannot shoulder displacement alone.
The responsibility for addressing displacement cannot rest on host countries alone, particularly at a time of increasing humanitarian needs and declining international resources, Doro said.
In a pointed message to the global aid architecture, he urged the UNHCR to explore partnerships with regional and subregional financial institutions, including the African Development Bank and the ECOWAS Bank for Investment and Development, to mobilise additional resources for refugee protection and durable solutions. In plain terms: Africa will work with African institutions to solve African problems, a position that aligns with the broader push for homegrown financing seen in