Nigeria — Stability Index Overview Round 3 (September 2023)

As of February 2023, 2,200,679 individuals were internally displaced in the BAY (Borno, Adamawa and Yobe) states of the north-east region, and 2.17 million individuals returned to their locations of origin.​ The unpredictability of the security crisis in BAY states has left for fluid mobility in these areas. This, coupled with the closure of major camps in Maiduguri Metropolitan Council (MMC), Jere and Konduga local government areas (LGAs) of Borno State. Many IDPs who resided in these camps have now integrated in host communities where they were displaced, some have reintegrated in their LGAs of origin and others have moved to different LGAs for resettlement.

To help find durable solutions for internal displacement — whether through return to communities of origin, local integration, or relocation – and to prevent new displacements in the region, it is critical to understand the relative levels of stability in locations hosting returnees or displaced populations.​ IOM launched the Stability Index (SI) in 2019 to evaluate the stability of areas hosting returnees or displaced populations in Nigeria. The SI seeks to understand factors influencing a location's stability to identify priority interventions for transition and recovery, with the goal of strengthening the resilience and stability in this conflict and displacement-affected region. The Stability Index measures perceptions of stability and analyzes factors having a larger impact on the decisions of populations to remain in place or move. The tool is implemented in the BAY states to enable governmental authorities and partners to develop better strategies, and to prioritize resources that link humanitarian, recovery, and stabilization approaches. 

This report presents results from data collection of Stability Index Round 3 conducted in Nigeria’s BAY states (Borno, Adamawa and Yobe) between December 2022 and January 2023.