Nigeria Domesticates Kampala Convention for IDPs

President Bola Tinubu has signed into law the African Union Convention for the Protection and Assistance of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs), popularly known as the Kampala Convention. This legislation, sponsored by House of Representatives Deputy Speaker Benjamin Kalu, aims to domesticate and enforce the convention in Nigeria, providing a comprehensive legal and institutional framework for the prevention, mitigation, and elimination of root causes of internal displacement. It also seeks to ensure the protection, assistance, and durable solutions for IDPs, upholding their human rights in line with the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and other international instruments. Nigeria faces severe humanitarian crises with millions of IDPs due to Boko Haram insurgency, banditry, farmer-herder conflicts, and natural disasters. The new law is expected to address issues like overcrowded shelters, limited access to healthcare and education, and promote national coordination and collaboration in humanitarian interventions.