The figures show a significant increase in the number of Nigerian claims accepted in 2025, when 3,463 applicants received protection, compared with 2,230 in 2024. A further 1,950 Nigerian claims were accepted in the first six months of 2026.

Despite the high number of successful applications, Canadian authorities rejected 3,080 Nigerian claims during the period. Another 1,530 cases were recorded as abandoned or withdrawn, bringing the total number of Nigerian cases concluded to 12,253.

In 2025, Nigeria recorded the highest number of accepted refugee claims among African countries in the data. Uganda followed with 2,089, while Kenya recorded 1,532, Ethiopia 1,522 and Ghana 1,084. Other countries among the leading African nationalities included Cameroon, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Rwanda.

The trend continued in the first half of 2026, with 1,950 Nigerian claims accepted. Kenya recorded 703 accepted claims, followed by Ghana with 603 and Uganda with 521. Ethiopia, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Rwanda and Cameroon also recorded successful applications.

Across the full 30-month period, Uganda recorded 3,943 accepted claims, followed by Kenya with 3,888, Ethiopia with 2,982 and Ghana with 2,000. The Democratic Republic of Congo recorded 1,867, Rwanda 1,699 and Cameroon 1,643.

The figures also reveal that thousands of Nigerian applicants did not receive refugee protection. Canada rejected 811 Nigerian claims in 2024, 1,377 in 2025 and 892 in the first half of 2026. The combined total was 3,080.

The number of Nigerian cases concluded rose from 3,249 in 2024 to 5,039 in 2025. Of the cases finalised in 2025, 3,463 were accepted, representing approximately 68.7 per cent, while 1,377 were rejected. The remaining cases were abandoned or withdrawn.

During the first six months of 2026, Canadian authorities concluded 3,965 Nigerian cases, accepting 1,950 and rejecting 892. The remaining cases fell into the abandoned, withdrawn or other categories recorded by the board.

Nigeria’s figures also represented a notable share of Canada’s overall refugee protection decisions. In 2025, the IRB concluded 79,462 claims from applicants of all nationalities, accepting 50,067 and rejecting 14,619. Nigerian applicants accounted for approximately 6.9 per cent of the accepted claims that year.

Between January and June 2026, the board accepted 22,109 of 49,960 claims concluded across all nationalities. Nigeria’s 1,950 accepted claims represented about 8.8 per cent of the total.

Across the entire period from January 2024 to June 2026, Canada concluded 202,878 refugee claims, accepting 118,656 and rejecting 34,546. The 7,643 accepted Nigerian claims represented approximately 6.4 per cent of all accepted claims.

The data also point to a substantial backlog. At the end of 2024, 19,889 Nigerian cases were awaiting decisions. By December 31, 2025, the number of pending cases from all nationalities had reached 299,614, according to the IRB. The board received 107,802 new referrals in 2025 alone.

Canada’s refugee determination system is administered by the Immigration and Refugee Board, an independent federal tribunal established under the country’s Immigration and Refugee Protection Act. Its Refugee Protection Division assesses eligible claims to determine whether applicants qualify for protection under Canadian law.

Applicants may qualify as Convention refugees if they meet the legal criteria relating to a well-founded fear of persecution based on factors such as race, religion, nationality, political opinion or membership in a particular social group. Protection may also be available to people who face specified risks, including torture or a threat to life, if returned to their country.

A person seeking protection must satisfy the relevant legal requirements, and each application is assessed on its individual circumstances. Depending on eligibility and the outcome of a case, applicants whose claims are rejected may have access to an appeal or other legal remedies.

The figures show that Nigerians account for a substantial share of successful refugee protection claims in Canada. However, the statistics alone do not establish why individual applicants left Nigeria or the circumstances behind their applications.

Reporting by TalkNaijaMedia