GASPRO International Journal of Eminent Scholars

ABSTRACT

Human rights violation has been the major factor why refugees flee their country of nationality. Others leave their countries of origin for obvious reasons like searching for greener pastures, academic pursuit, etc. However, whatever may be the reason for their fleeing, the refugees are bestowed with inalienable rights based on the principles of universality, equality and non-discrimination as enshrined in the body of customary international law and other international and regional instruments that establish standards for refugee protection globally. This research work therefore examined the principal statute that governs refugee protection, the 1951 Convention and other humanitarian statutes that safeguard the principle of non-refoulement in the protection of refugees and other asylum-seekers, including children refugees. It was also the thrust of this work that the legal framework that seek to protect refugees in Nigeria as well as the rights of refugees be examined. One of the recommendations was that there should be an urgent need to identify the root causes of incidence of asylum seeking and refugee’s status. These include: lack of adequate legislations and implementation to protect the lives and properties of citizens, unemployment, corruption.

KEYWORDS: Rights of a Refugee, Country of Asylum, Germany, Nigeria and United Nations