Senate Passes Kampala Convention Domestication Bill
By Comfort Chukwukelue
The Senate on Tuesday passed the African Union Convention for the Protection and Assistance of Internally Displaced Persons (Domestication and Enforcement) Bill, 2025, marking a significant legislative step toward safeguarding the rights and welfare of internally displaced persons (IDPs) in Nigeria.
The bill, sponsored by the Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rt Hon. Benjamin Kalu, CFR, had earlier been passed by the House and was forwarded to the Senate for concurrence.
The Kampala Convention, adopted by the African Union in 2009, provides a comprehensive legal framework for preventing internal displacement, protecting displaced persons, and supporting their reintegration or resettlement. While Nigeria signed the treaty in 2009, it had not yet incorporated its provisions into national legislation.
During Tuesday’s plenary, Senate Leader Sen. Bamidele Opeyemi presented the bill for consideration. He noted that the legislation, first introduced on December 10, 2024, seeks to give legal effect to the convention within the framework of the 1999 Constitution of Nigeria (as amended), and other relevant laws and international instruments to which Nigeria is a party.
“This bill…seeks to domesticate and enforce in Nigeria the African Union convention for protection and assistance to internally displaced persons and elimination of root causes and internal displacement in Nigeria,” Opeyemi stated, urging his colleagues to support the legislation.
The bill was subsequently referred to the Committee of the Whole, where the Deputy Senate President, Sen. Jibrin Barau, presided over the clause-by-clause consideration of its 46 provisions, including the explanatory memorandum and long title. Following the review, the Senate passed the bill.
With this passage, Nigeria moves closer to formally enshrining the rights and protections guaranteed under the Kampala Convention into national law, a development expected to impact millions of IDPs across the country.
