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Treaty Status | Management & Coordination | Impact (contamination & casualties) | Addressing the Impact (land release, risk education, victim assistance)

Country summary

At the Mine Ban Treaty Eleventh Meeting of States Parties in November 2011, the Federal Republic of Nigeria declared it had cleared all known antipersonnel mines from its territory. Since 2015, numerous incidents involving both civilian and military casualties from landmines and a range of other explosive devices, locally produced and planted by Boko Haram, have been reported in the northeast of the country.[1]

At the end of 2019, Nigeria reported improvised mine contamination on its territory, and submitted a Mine Ban Treaty Article 5 extension request in November 2020. The extent of contamination from mines and other explosive devices resulting from the armed conflict between Boko Haram, the Nigerian military, and the Multi-National Task Force, is not known. All clearance is conducted by the army and the police with support from paramilitary groups. The army’s priority is to provide demining support for military operations.

The overwhelming majority of casualties in Nigeria were caused by improvised mines. Risk education is coordinated by the Mine Action Sub Working Group, co-chaired by the Ministry of Reconstruction, Rehabilitation and Resettlement, and the UN Mine Action Service (UNMAS). The primary risk education target groups are internally displaced persons (IDPs), host communities, refugees, and returnees.

Nigeria passed a disability rights law for the first time in 2019, but it was yet to be enforced. Less than 60% of health facilities in Borno, Adamawa, and Yobe states were fully functioning. In 2019, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) provided psychosocial support and supported nine hospitals and one orthopedic center.

Treaty status

Treaty status overview

Under Article 5 of the Mine Ban Treaty, Nigeria was required to destroy all antipersonnel mines in contaminated areas under its jurisdiction or control as soon as possible, but not later than 1 March 2012. At the Eleventh Meeting of States Parties in November 2011, Nigeria declared it had cleared all known antipersonnel mines from its territory.[2]

As a result of the armed conflict between Boko Haram, the Nigerian military, and the Multi-National Task Force, incidents involving landmines and other explosive devices have been reported in Borno, Adamawa, and Yobe states.[3] Clashes between state forces and several armed groups continued in 2019.[4] In November 2019, Nigeria reported improvised mine contamination on its territory and stated that it intended to submit an extension request in order to comply with Article 5 of the Mine Ban Treaty.[5] The request submitted in November 2020 did not contain any details, work plan, or resource mobilization strategy, but requested an interim extension until 31 December 2021 “to present [a] detailed report on contamination, progress made and work plan for implementation.”[6]

Nigeria has not yet reported on the location of all suspected or confirmed mined areas under its jurisdiction or control and on the status of programs for the destruction of all antipersonnel mines.[7] Nigeria has not submitted a Mine Ban Treaty Article 7 transparency report since 2012.

Management and coordination

Mine action management and coordination

Mine action management and coordination overview[8]

Coordination

In 2019, Nigeria formed an Inter-Ministerial Committee tasked with developing a national mine action strategy and a work plan for survey and clearance. The Committee is comprised of the Ministry of Defence, the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Disaster Management, the North-East Development Commission, the National Emergency Management Agency, and the National Commission for Refugees, Migrants and IDPs.[9] Nigeria had planned to establish a mine action authority, but in 2020 progress was delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[10]

There is no structured mine action program in Nigeria. Both Nigeria’s armed forces and its police carry out explosive ordnance disposal (EOD) activities and explosive remnants of war (ERW) clearance. The state police have EOD units that support the army in clearing unexploded ordnance (UXO) and explosive devices. The army’s ERW clearance is primarily focused on facilitating military operations and clearing roads and areas to facilitate access for troops to carry out attacks on Boko Haram and to keep military supply routes open.[11]

Strategies and policies

The Mine Action Sub Working Group co-chaired by the Ministry of Reconstruction, Rehabilitation and Resettlement and UNMAS provides planning, coordination, and technical advice to support plans for the resettlement of IDPs and for the delivery of risk education, survey, and clearance.[12]

Information management

Mine action data is recorded on the Information Management System for Mine Action (IMSMA) database and informs the humanitarian response.[13]

Risk education management and coordination

Risk education management and coordination overview

Coordination

The Mine Action Sub Working Group coordinates risk education activities, co-chaired by the Ministry of Reconstruction, Rehabilitation and Resettlement and UNMAS.[14] The Working Group provides planning, coordination, and technical advice to support risk education activities.[15]

Victim assistance management and coordination

Laws and policies

No specific victim assistance coordination was reported. Ministry of Women’s Affairs and Social Development is responsible for persons with disabilities.[16]

Nigeria passed a disability rights law for the first time in 2019. The law prohibits discrimination against persons with disabilities. There were however no reports the law had been enforced.[17]

The 2016 National Health Policy provides for access to healthcare for persons with disabilities. However, it was reported that persons with disabilities faced discrimination and social stigma in Nigeria.[18]

Impact

Contamination

The extent of landmine or ERW contamination in Nigeria is unknown.

Landmine contamination

As of November 2019, Nigeria had not been able to conduct a comprehensive survey to determine the extent of the contamination from mines and other explosive devices.[19] As part of a preliminary investigation, the Inter-Ministerial Committee found that victim-activated improvised mines had been recently used in Nigeria.[20] (See Nigeria’s mine ban profile for more information).

Incidents involving landmines and other explosive devices have been reported in Borno, Adamawa, and Yobe states; with Borno state being the most heavily affected. According to the Nigerian military, the Sambisa forest in Borno state, Boko Haram’s stronghold, has been heavily mined, along with “extensive” mine use by Boko Haram around military positions.[21]

A November 2015 assessment in Adamawa and Borno states by the international demining organization Danish Demining Group (DDG) had noted local community reports of a number of local government areas in Borno state they thought needed clearance, including Bama, Dikwa, Gwoza, Kala-Balge, Kukawa, Marte, and Ngala.[22] Interviewees identified contamination including antipersonnel and antivehicle mines, a variety of body-borne, vehicle-borne, and remotely controlled devices, as well as cluster munition remnants, mortars, rockets, and rocket-propelled grenades, hand grenades, and Man-Portable Air Defense Systems (MANPADS).[23]

In 2015, the Nigerian army warned civilians of the threat of improvised devices using adapted submunitions.[24]

UNMAS carried out a scoping mission to the three northeastern states in April 2017 to assess the extent of the threat from munitions, ERW, and landmines. It received reports of the use of both antipersonnel and antivehicle mines of an improvised nature around defensive positions.[25] It reported that Boko Haram had made significant use of pressure-plate-activated mines on main supply routes, primarily to attack military convoys.[26] UNMAS reported in 2020 that non-state armed groups’ use of improvised mines increasingly targeted civilians.[27]

Contamination from mines and other explosive devices has had a serious humanitarian impact, impeding the return of IDPs and exacerbating the crisis in the region.[28] In October 2016, the governor of Adamawa state confirmed that many IDPs continued to be unable to return to their farms due to a fear of landmines.[29] Roads were closed to civilian traffic by the military due to the presence of mines or other explosive devices and there were numerous reports of civilian casualties and farmers who feared returning to work their fields, contributing to worsening food shortages.[30] Humanitarian access and recovery efforts were also impeded by the presence of mines.[31]

Casualties

Casualties overview[32]

Note: ERW=explosive remnants of war.

Casualties in 2019: details

In 2019, 239 mine/ERW casualties were recorded in Nigeria. Most casualties were caused by improvised mines. This is similar to the 235 improvised mine casualties recorded in 2017 from data collected by the Mines Advisory Group (MAG). The information on casualties in Nigeria recorded by MAG from January 2016 through March 2018 resulted in an improved understanding of the extent of casualties and the impact of improvised mines in Nigeria.[33] Prior to MAG’s data being made available, the Monitor recorded two mine casualties in Nigeria in 2002 and 18 casualties in 2015.

The Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) reported that in 2019, “some 230 people were killed by [improvised explosive devices] IEDs and more than 300 injured.”[34] UNMAS also reported that “hundreds of civilians to include women and children have been killed and injured” by landmines of an improvised nature in 2019.[35]

There is no injury surveillance system in Nigeria. UNMAS manages a mine/ERW casualty database which contains disaggregated data for northeast Nigeria and Lake Chad Basin from 2016 to present. The data collected by UNMAS is however partial given the absence of a nation-wide injury surveillance system.[36]

At least 1,281 mine/ERW casualties have been reported in Nigeria (325 killed; 954 injured; and two for whom the survival outcome is unknown). In a compensation claim of 2012, 493 survivors “pre-enumerated by the Ministry of Defence” were included as confirmed victims of mines/ERW for entitlements by the Economic Community of West African States community court.[37] The Monitor database includes an additional 788 mine/ERW casualties for Nigeria, recorded between 2012 and 2019, with 325 people killed, 461 injured, and the survival outcome of two persons was unknown.[38]

Addressing the impact

Mine action

Operators and service providers

Clearance operators

All clearance in Nigeria is conducted by the army and the police with support from paramilitary groups. UNMAS reported in 2019 that the army remained in charge of clearance.[39] The United States (US) continued to provide equipment and training to Nigeria’s EOD teams in 2019.[40] In April 2017, a senior Nigerian military commander informed UNMAS that due to limited resources, the army’s priority was to provide demining support for military operations, and that additional equipment, ongoing support and refresher training was needed for humanitarian demining.[41]

As part of its efforts to strengthen national capacity, UNMAS was planning to train Nigeria’s Police Force and the Security and Civil Defence Corps to protect civilians from mines/ERW in Borno, Adamawa, and Yobe states.[42]

Clearance

No landmine clearance was reported in Nigeria for 2019.

In 2017 the army’s priority was to provide demining support for military operations. The army lacked the capacity to undertake humanitarian demining. It called for additional equipment, ongoing support, and training. The army and police received some equipment and training in 2019.

At the end of 2019, Nigeria reported improvised mine contamination on its territory, and submitted a Mine Ban Treaty Article 5 extension request in November 2020.[43] The request did not contain any details, work plan, or resource mobilization strategy, but requested an interim extension until 31 December 2021.[44]

Land release: landmines

In 2018–2019, MAG conducted “light-touch” non-technical survey (NTS) in Bama, Gubio, Gwoza, and Konduga in Borno state. This was based on collecting information from individuals during mine risk education sessions, confirming the information and handing it over to the security forces.[45]

Since August 2018, UNMAS conducted eight NTS in Bama, Monguno, Ngala, and Nganzai, following which it identified and marked five confirmed hazardous areas (CHAs).[46] UNMAS was planning to conduct NTS in temporary accessible areas and in areas frequented by IDPs and host communities for livelihood activities.[47]

Deminer safety

Military casualties have been reported among soldiers clearing mines. In 2015, two soldiers were killed, and two others seriously wounded during clearance operations in Gudumbali town.[48] UNMAS reported in April 2017 that manual render-safe procedures were the primary method used by the Nigerian military EOD teams, which could be contributing to a high number of casualties among EOD personnel.[49]

Risk education

Operators and service providers

Risk education operators[50]

Note: EORE=explosive ordnance risk education; IDP=internally displaced person.

Beneficiary numbers

Beneficiaries of risk education in 2019[51]

UNICEF reported a total of 10,339 beneficiaries comprising 4,610 children and 5,729 adults in 2019. Between January 2019 and April 2020, UNMAS reported a total of 36,422 beneficiaries.

The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reported that risk education activities in northeast Nigeria reached 386,589 people in 2019.[52]

Implementation

Target groups

As part of their risk education efforts, MAG and UNMAS targeted aid workers, IDPs, host communities, refugees, and returnees.[53] Risk education material developed by UNMAS covered improvised mines and other types of IEDs.[54]

Delivery methods

Through the setup of the Humanitarian Hub Campaign, UNMAS sensitizes and trains aid workers on how to prevent incidents and safely remove explosive remnants.[55] UNMAS also conducted a training of trainers for 14 volunteers of a civil society organization,[56] and conducted a “train-the-trainer” pilot project targeting 100 vulnerable young men and women from Maiduguri, in Borno state, and who were employed to transmit knowledge to vulnerable populations.[57]

In addition to traditional risk education activities, in 2019, UNMAS was developing billboards and short movies. It was also exploring the use of a Risk Education Talking Device in order to reach inaccessible at-risk population.[58]

In 2019, UNICEF mainstreamed risk education in family center activities, and also trained 17 NGO staff and 45 social workers in risk education.[59] MAG risk education sessions were specifically tailored to children, using puppets for these sessions.[60] DDG risk education activities included the development of risk education capacity for community focal points, local authorities and networks.[61]

Major developments in 2020

Mine action actors adapted to the new constraints imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic by decreasing the number of participants in risk education sessions and working on radio messaging in order to mitigate the decrease of direct beneficiaries.[62]

In 2020, the Mine Action Sub Working Group was planning to conduct risk education, mapping and marking of hazardous areas, and the identification of survivors and affected communities in Borno, Adamawa, and Yobe states.[63]

The National Environment Management Agency and the State Emergency Management Agency was expected to be accredited for risk education activities in 2020.[64]

Victim assistance

Victim assistance providers and activities

Victim assistance operators[65]

Major Developments in 2019

Medical care and rehabilitation

There was a serious shortage of skilled health care workers, in particular in areas where the armed conflict is ongoing. Less than 60% of health facilities in Borno, Adamawa, and Yobe states were fully functioning.[66] The State Specialist Hospital in Maiduguri (SSH-M) treated patients injured in the conflict in the northeast, with donations of supplies, equipment, incentives for staff, and coaching from the ICRC.[67] UNMAS supported the provision of first-aid and emergency trauma bag training to police force personnel.[68]

The ICRC provided support to nine hospitals, as well as the National Orthopaedic Hospital Dala-Kano (NOHD).[69] In 2019, the ICRC supported the NOHD with prostheses, orthoses and mobility aids.[70] The ICRC also supported the construction of a physical rehabilitation center at the University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital and gave scholarships for prosthetics students.[71]

Socio-economic and psychosocial inclusion

There were state-operated vocational training centers to train persons with disabilities living in extreme poverty.[72]

UNMAS provided psychosocial support in northeast Nigeria.[73] The ICRC provided training and cash grants for income-generating activities.[74]