Nigeria’s growing population of internally displaced persons requires the establishment of dependable legal and institutional frameworks or the progressive interpretation of policy or law vis-h-vis international obligations. Internal displacement is a pervasive problem whether in armed or non-armed conflict situations. Although displacement has generated much concern globally, no current universal convention addresses the displacement of persons within the national territory. Internationally, the United Nations has adopted the Guiding Principles on Internal Displacement while at the regional level the African Union has adopted the Convention for the Protection and Assistance of Internally Displaced Persons in Africa. The latter compels the promulgation of a binding regime at the state level. However, Nigeria’s search for a durable solution so far has resulted only in the drafting of a National Policy on Internally Displaced Persons.
