Nigeria — COVID-19 Situational Analysis 2: North Central and North West (January 2021)

This Round 2 of the COVID-19 Situation Analysis is based on an assessment of knowledge, practice and impact of the pandemic on internally displaced persons (IDPs) in conflict-affected communities in the geopolitical zones North West and North Central in Nigeria. Conducted by the Displacement Tracking Matrix (DTM) unit of the International Organization for Migration (IOM), the report covers the period 19 November to 6 December 2020 and reflects trends from the states Benue, Kaduna, Kano, Katsina, Nasarawa, Plateau, Sokoto and Zamfara.

 

The first assessment was conducted in July 2020, 4 months after the first case of Covid-19 was reported in Nigeria. During this second round, 1,488 locations were assessed comprising 78 camps/camp-like settings and 1,410 locations where IDPs were hosted among host communities. The highest number of locations assessed was in Katsina State with a total of 252 locations, followed by Plateau with 235 locations and Kaduna with 231 locations.

 

Respondents were interviewed on a range of COVID-19 related indicators. Key informant interviews and focus group discussions were the primary methods used for the assessment and the findings were corroborated with physical on-ground observations.

 

The information collated and analyzed in this report includes awareness about COVID-19 among IDPs, means of getting information on the virus, level of awareness , exposure to communication on the risks associated with COVID-19, the means of obtaining information about the risks, mitigation measures taken, health centre’s preparedness in managing confirmed cases, potential threats of evictions related to COVID-19, any disruption of services due to COVID-19 and access to infection and control facilities. All information in this report was assessed for both IDPs living in camps/camp-like settings and IDPs living among host communities.

 

COVID-19 threatens to deepen the humanitarian crisis in North West and North Central Nigeria, zones that are afflicted with multidimensional crises, rooted in historic ethno-social cleavages, and exasperated by recent large scale displacements due to a range of reasons including crime. To better understand the scope of displacement and assess the needs of affected populations, IOM has been implementing the DTM programme since September 2014, in collaboration with the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) and relevant State Emergency Management Agencies (SEMAs).