🇳🇬NigeriaWest Africa
6,704 Nigerians sought asylum in Cyprus between 2021 and 2025
via Punch Nigeria3 min read
Between 2021 and 2025, 6,704 Nigerians applied for international protection in Cyprus, according to data from the Asylum Information Database, a project of the European Council on Refugees and Exiles. This figure positions Nigeria among the most consistent sources of asylum seekers to the island nation during this period. The number of asylum claims from Nigerians decreased by 70 percent from 2022 to 2025, with 1,555 applicants in 2021, 3,148 in 2022, 1,019 in 2023, 554 in 2024, and 428 in 2025. The overall protection rate for Nigerians in 2025 was 0.16 percent, with only 11 granted refugee status and five receiving subsidiary protection. Rejection rates for Nigerian applicants were high, reaching 98.2 percent in 2021 and 98.4 percent in 2022 and 2023. Nigeria consistently ranked among Cyprus's top four countries of origin for asylum seekers since 2021, alongside Syria, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Cameroon, Pakistan, and Bangladesh. In 2021, the Cypriot government designated Nigeria a “safe country of origin,” leading to accelerated examination and a presumption against claims, which contributes to the high rejection rates. Many Nigerians in Cyprus are international students, workers, or dependents, with a smaller group seeking asylum, often after their initial status expires or via irregular routes from Turkish-administered Northern Cyprus.
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Must ReadThe Independent National Electoral Commission has declared Governor Biodun Oyebanji of the All Progressives Congress as the winner of the Ekiti State governorship election. Governor Oyebanji secured re-election after polling 319,224 votes. His closest rivals were Olumayokun Oluyede of the Peoples Democratic Party, who received 40,533 votes, and Dare Bejide of the African Democratic Congress, who garnered 12,872 votes. The results were announced by the Returning Officer for the election, Professor Adenike Oladiji, Vice Chancellor of Federal University of Technology, Akure, in Ado-Ekiti. Out of 988,251 registered voters, 384,940 were accredited, with 382,109 votes cast and 375,777 valid votes. The PDP candidate notably lost in his home local government area of Efon-Alaaye, where the APC scored 8,742 votes against the PDP's 2,051.
The Foundation for Ethical Society and Cultural Awareness FESCA has urged the Federal Government to establish special courts for the swift prosecution of kidnapping, banditry, and terrorism cases. The foundation also called for harsher penalties, including the death penalty where legally permissible, for convicted individuals and their collaborators. FESCA emphasized the urgent need for decisive action to protect lives and property and restore public confidence in the country's security. The organization recommended legislation for special tribunals, a one million-man civilian intelligence network funded by a security levy, and community-based self-defense units under military supervision. Other recommendations include comprehensive national security databases, deployment of intelligence units to all wards and local government areas, and legislation allowing law-abiding citizens to legally possess firearms for self-defense under strict conditions. FESCA also called for investigations into security personnel suspected of collaborating with criminal groups and the large-scale deployment of drones for surveillance and intelligence gathering.
New security concerns have emerged in eastern Sokoto State following reports that loyalists of bandit leader Bello Turji are conducting weapons training and tactical exercises in communities along the Sokoto-Zamfara border. An intelligence report, released by Basharu Altine, Sokoto State Coordinator of the Movement for Social Justice and Good Governance, indicates these gatherings are occurring in areas from Bingabale Kudu to Bargaja. Fighters linked to Turji, including his key associates Illa Manawa and his alleged younger brother Dodo, are said to be undergoing military-style drills with newly acquired sophisticated weapons. Altine stated that intelligence suggests these fighters are receiving training on advanced weaponry, some of which was reportedly used in recent confrontations with security forces. Preliminary intelligence also points to a new consignment of weapons and newly recruited fighters with links to insurgent groups, some possessing advanced combat expertise, whose mission is to train and strengthen Turji’s fighters. Night-vision devices allegedly acquired by Turji are also reportedly part of the equipment delivered to the group's camps. Investigations have linked suspected bandit commanders Haru Dole and Ibrahim Chimo to the procurement and movement of these weapons, with a growing alliance between Chimo and Turji. Altine warned that this collaboration could have wider security implications for eastern Sokoto, with intelligence reports suggesting plans to exp