The Nigerian government marked World Humanitarian Day 2024 with a warning: attacks against humanitarian workers are on the rise, and it’s time for action.
At a press conference on Monday, Tijani Ahmed, the Federal Commissioner of the National Commission for Refugees, Migrants and Internally Displaced Persons (NCFRMI) shared some grim statistics.
“In Nigeria, humanitarian workers have frequently found themselves in the crossfire of non-state armed groups,” said Ahmed. “Between 2020 and 2024, there have been 49 reported incidents affecting 79 humanitarian workers.”
He cited several shocking examples, such as the killing of an aid worker from Médecins du Monde, the wounding of a UN pilot, and an attack on a United Nations Aid Facility in Borno State that left at least 20 people dead and forced aid workers to flee. Ahmed also noted that in 2024 alone, at least 26 humanitarian workers in Nigeria have been kidnapped, ambushed, or assaulted while on the job.
These attacks, he stressed, are not just crimes against individuals but violations of international humanitarian law. Ahmed called for stronger enforcement of international humanitarian law in Nigeria and urged all stakeholders to ramp up efforts to protect both humanitarian workers and civilians in conflict zones.
“We must also ensure that our legal frameworks are robust enough to prosecute those who commit such violations and end the cycle of impunity as the protection of humanitarian workers and civilians is a moral imperative,” he added.
—Ezinwanne Onwuka reports for TruthNigeria from Abuja.
