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News Published: 26 March 2026

Nigeria: Updated EUAA Country Guidance reflects the country’s security and social challenges

Nigeria: Updated EUAA Country Guidance reflects the country’s security and social challenges

The EUAA has recently published updated Country Guidance on Nigeria. Endorsed by the Agency’s Management Board, it represents the joint assessment of EU+ countries on possible international protection needs of Nigerian nationals. It comes as the country continues to experience overlapping crises and widespread insecurity. The guidance is based on the Agency’s latest Country-of-Origin Information (COI) and aims to foster convergence in asylum decisions at the EU level.

The European Union Agency for Asylum (EUAA) has just published updated Country Guidance on Nigeria which aims to assist caseworkers with the assessment of asylum applications by Nigerian nationals. The guidance comes as Nigeria continues to experience overlapping crises, marked by widespread insecurity and significant social and economic challenges.

The ‘Country Guidance: Nigeria (2026)’ provides a legal assessment of the risks faced by sixteen profiles of applicants for international protection, based on their prominence in the caseloads of EU+ countries. While this update remains largely consistent with the guidance issued previously, in October 2021, all conclusions have been reviewed and, in some cases, refined. 

The complex security situation has informed the assessment of the circumstances under which subsidiary protection1 may be granted. The Guidance notes that protection by the State would be in general unavailable in the North-Eastern states where Boko Haram operates and is limited in other areas. For certain groups such as women and children who are victims of gender-based violence, and victims of trafficking in human beings, protection would be generally lacking. Internal protection alternatives may exist in Lagos and Abuja depending on the profile and individual circumstances of the applicant.

Asylum applications by Nigerian nationals

In 2025, Nigerian nationals lodged around 12 000 applications for international protection in the EU+, which is a one quarter decrease compared to 2024. The main receiving countries of Nigerian applications were Italy, France, Ireland and Germany. During the year, around 17 000 first instance decisions were issued with an EU+ recognition rate of 11 %. At the end of 2025, there were close to 12 000 cases still pending a decision at first instance.

Background

The country guidance documents provide country-specific, common analysis and guidance in relation to the assessment criteria of international protection needs established in the EU asylum acquis. In accordance with Article 11 of the EUAA Regulation, Member States have the obligation to take into account the guidance notes and common analysis when examining applications for international protection, without prejudice to their competence for deciding on individual applications.

 

Read the updated Country Guidance: Nigeria (2026).

 

Any further information may be obtained from the European Union Agency for Asylum’s Press Office at the following email addresses:

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    A form of protection granted to individuals who do not qualify for refugee status but, if returned to their country of origin, would face a real risk of suffering serious harm.