Returning Displaced Nigerians at Risk of Landmine Explosions — UN Issues Grave Warning

Returning Displaced Nigerians at Risk of Landmine Explosions — UN Issues Grave Warning

Reported By Sele Media Africa| Ihuoma Amarachi

ABUJA —As the government ramps up efforts to resettle internally displaced persons (IDPs) across Nigeria’s northeast, the United Nations Mine Action Service (UNMAS) has issued a stark warning: many returning communities face a serious risk of landmine and explosive‑ordnance (EO) detonation — a deadly legacy of past conflicts. [1]

What the UN Warns –

According to UNMAS, in 2025 alone Nigeria recorded 182 explosive‑ordinance incidents, resulting in 157 civilian casualties — indicating a rising threat as displaced people return home. [2] – The agency warned that many areas cleared of insurgents are not free of danger: unexploded bombs, improvised explosive devices (IEDs), and landmines remain hidden in farms, roads, and villages. Returning residents risk stepping on these devices. [1] – Historically, between 2016 and 2020, the Mines Advisory Group (MAG) documented over 1,000 casualties from landmines and unexploded ordnance in northeast Nigeria — a trend that continues, putting displacement returnees among the most vulnerable. [3]

Impact on Resettlement & Communities-

Surviving landmines have complicated efforts to rebuild homes, restart farming, and restore normal life — even where security forces have restored control. Many returnees remain too afraid to go back. [1] – The presence of unexploded ordnance has disrupted economic activity: farmlands are left uncultivated, markets remain closed, and families live in constant fear — worsening displacement’s humanitarian toll. [3] – Civilians returning home without proper clearance are among the most at risk; children and women fetching firewood, water, or returning to farms are especially vulnerable. [3]

What UN & Humanitarian Groups Are Doing – UNMAS, together with MAG and other partners, continues “mine‑risk education” campaigns — training security forces and local communities to identify explosive devices and safely report them. [1] – Demining teams are trying to systematically clear contaminated areas — roads, farmland, villages — before major resettlement programmes push people back into former homes. [1] – Humanitarian groups are advocating for careful mapping, marking of cleared zones, community awareness, and support for survivors — calling for sustained international support given rising EO incidents worldwide.

The warning comes at a critical time: as the government closes displacement camps and pushes for return, many IDPs may unknowingly move back into mined zones — risking death or grave injury. For Nigeria’s long‑term peace and reconstruction, ensuring land clearance, community safety, and accurate mapping of hazardous zones is as vital as defeating insurgent groups. Failure to do so could trap returnees in another cycle of violence — this time from invisible killers beneath the soil.

Citations:

1. Global Issues: www.globalissues.org/amp/news/2025/12/03/41800?utm_source=chatgpt.com2. facebook.com: www.facebook.com/UnitedNationsMineActionService/posts/-in-2025-alone-182-explosive-ordnance-eo-incidents-have-been-recorded-in-nigeria/1163460709156795/?utm_source=chatgpt.com3. TheCable: www.thecable.ng/landmine-explosions-nigeria-among-top-five-countries-with-highest-casualty-rates/?utm_source=chatgpt.com4. United Nations: www.un.org/en/landmine-casualties-hit-four-year-high-treaty-setbacks-deepen?utm_source=chatgpt.com

About The Author

Ihuoma Amarachi Grace

author

Ihuoma Amarachi Grace is a journalist with Sele Media Africa, committed to telling authentic African stories with depth and creativity. A Christian and a student of English and Literary Studies, she blends her love for writing with the art of spoken word to inspire and inform. Her voice adds a thoughtful and artistic dimension to Sele Media’s mission of amplifying unheard voices across the continent.

See author's posts