The United Kingdom Home Office has recorded 22,619 asylum applications from Nigerian nationals between 2010 and 2024, according to our findings. Nigerians accounted for one in every 30 asylum claims within this period, placing Nigeria 11th in the UK Home Office’s year-end Asylum and Resettlement statistics.
In 2024 alone, Nigerian asylum applications nearly doubled from 1,462 in 2023 to 2,841, reflecting worsening domestic conditions.
The UK saw a record-high 108,138 asylum applications in 2024, a 378% rise from 2010. Most claims were from South Asian and Middle Eastern countries. Iran led the list with 75,737 claims, attributed to growing repression of dissidents. Pakistan followed with 57,621 claims, 10,542 of which were filed in 2024, spurred by post-election unrest, inflation, and increased blasphemy-related prosecutions.
Afghanistan registered 54,363 applications, with 8,508 filed in 2024—part of an ongoing wave after the Taliban’s 2022 return to power. Other top countries included Albania (50,944), Iraq (45,711), Eritrea (37,687), Syria (34,997), Bangladesh (31,744), Sudan (30,897), and India (30,179). Bangladesh’s claims rose from 5,097 in 2023 to 7,225 in 2024 following the ousting of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.
Nigeria’s 22,619 filings exceeded those from Sri Lanka (22,059), Vietnam, China, and Turkey. Countries such as Brazil, Kuwait, Yemen, Colombia, and Jordan recorded fewer than 6,500 claims each.
Analysts link Nigeria’s rising asylum numbers to worsening insecurity—insurgency, kidnappings, and banditry—as well as severe economic strain, including the 2023 naira devaluation that hurt household purchasing power.
Charles Onunaiju, Research Director at the Centre for China Studies, Abuja, “Nigeria is becoming inhospitable, especially for young people with no opportunities, leading to a desperate push abroad.”
Reports suggest some young professionals now apply for UK asylum after entering through skilled worker visas, while others arrive irregularly through Europe. Affidavits often cite threats of kidnapping, communal attacks, political persecution under Nigeria’s cybercrime laws, or discrimination due to sexual orientation—grounds covered under the Refugee Convention.
The UK Home Office requires asylum seekers to prove a “well-founded fear of persecution” based on race, religion, nationality, political views, or social group membership. Negative decisions can be appealed to the Immigration and Asylum Chamber.
Though the Illegal Migration Act 2023 bars those arriving via safe third countries from seeking asylum, the UK’s deportation plan—primarily the Rwanda deal introduced by former PM Rishi Sunak—remains stalled due to legal challenges. Thus, most 2024–2025 arrivals continue under the standard asylum process.
In the development economist Dr. Aliyu Ilias warned of the long-term economic cost of migration, especially of skilled professionals.
“It’s a real concern. These are trained professionals—especially in the medical and engineering fields—leaving after the country has invested in their education. This is brain drain. It reduces our GDP,” he said. “The sad part is many of them don’t return. They settle permanently abroad and contribute to other economies instead.
.jpg)
