Exiles in their own home: conflicts and internal population displacement in Nigeria

It argues that a central causal variable in population displacement in Nigeria is state violence. Aggression of the state towards certain groups appears as inter-group conflicts.

The paper locates the socio-economic and political basis of state violence in Nigeria in military rule, crude oil production and communalism, three factors which also give rise to the three most important displacement-generating conflicts in Nigeria. An analysis of these conflicts shows the deepening link between state violence, insecurity and population displacement. The paper also addresses issues of humanitarian assistance and protection for displaced people.