Legal and Socio Economic Consequences of Immigration and Internally Displaced Persons in Africa: A Nigerian Perspective

From the inter-tribal and communal clashes to terrorism, the number of internally displaced persons (IDPs) has continued to be on the rise often with little consideration to its implications on the IDPs and the nation at large. It is in the light of this that this study examines internal displacement in Nigeria, causative factors and policies of Nigerian government towards internally displaced persons (IDPs). It asserts that Nigeria must promote, respect and fulfill its obligations under treaties in as much as they do not conflict with section 12 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 (as amended) which requires their reenactment into domestic law by the National Assembly. While the efforts of the government in passing the rights of the IDPs Act, 2016 is a right step towards eliminating the institutional overlapping and specifically address the plight of IDPs, it is essential that the government accords attention to the implementation of the rights of the individual, which is often overlooked, as the best practice towards preventing internal displacement. The study concludes that internal displacement will continue to occur except effective protective measures are put in place.