Sharon Dimanche, Chief of Mission, IOM Nigeria, disclosed this virtually during a press conference in Katsina on Friday.
She said the figures were contained in the organisation’s latest Displacement Tracking Matrix (DTM) assessment.
Dimanche said Katsina had almost 181,000 displaced persons, while neighbouring Zamfara recorded more than 261,000.
The IOM chief added that over 37,000 returnees had been recorded in Katsina alone.
She said about 620,000 people, representing approximately 84 per cent of those displaced across the Northwest, were forced from their communities by armed banditry and kidnapping.
According to her, displacement is not only about movement from one location to another, but also the loss of homes, livelihoods, safety and social cohesion.
Dimanche said the crisis in the Northwest had national implications, affecting food production, livelihoods, education, access to basic services, local economies, social cohesion, stability and development.
She said more than 138,000 people were displaced in Katsina between January 2025 and January 2026.
“Of that number, almost 72,000 were affected by floods, heavy rainfall and windstorms, while nearly 60,000 were displaced by banditry and kidnapping.
“The figures show that insecurity is not the only factor driving displacement, as climate-related shocks are also placing enormous pressure on vulnerable communities,” she said.
She said the consequences of displacement, whether caused by violence or natural disasters, include loss of livelihoods, children being out of school, fear, uncertainty and weakened community resilience.
Dimanche said there were encouraging signs, noting that assessed IDPs across the Northwest and North-Central regions declined by nearly five per cent between October 2025 and February 2026, while returnees increased by nearly five per cent.
She, however, cautioned that return “is not automatically a durable solution”, stressing that returnees must be able to live safely, earn livelihoods, send their children to school and address the conditions that initially displaced them.
The IOM chief said peace-building and early warning mechanisms were therefore critical to preventing tensions from escalating into violence and displacement.
She said IOM’s partnership with the European Union (EU), through the Foreign Policy Instrument (FPI), was helping to strengthen peace-building, early warning and community resilience in affected communities.
Dimanche said: “IOM is implementing the 18-month Community-based Protection, Conflict Resolution and Resilience (CPCRR) Programme in Katsina and Zamfara, with support from the EU.”
Also speaking, Mr. Jean Nahesi-Kutumbakana, Programme Manager/Head of Sub-Office, IOM Katsina, said the programme had established 80 Community Peace and Resilience Committees and trained 1,700 community members and stakeholders in conflict prevention, early warning and early response.
He said 160 key informants had been engaged across conflict hotspots and livestock movement corridors, while 41,000 livestock movements involving 2,405 herders and 60,440 livestock had been monitored.
Nahesi-Kutumbakana said 74 per cent of surveyed IDP locations require shelter intervention, while 89 per cent lack adequate sanitation facilities.
He said 552 vulnerable persons had received integrated mental health, psychosocial and livelihood support, while 300 at-risk youths and women received peace-building and skills-acquisition training.
The official said 13 Quick Impact Projects had been implemented in Katsina, benefiting 51,493 people through solar-powered boreholes, school blocks and veterinary clinics.
He added that IOM’s peace-media campaign had reached 506,574 people through radio jingles, participatory drama and other awareness activities across Katsina and Zamfara.
He urged stakeholders to sustain collaboration and ensure accurate communication on displacement, humanitarian needs and peace-building initiatives to facilitate effective responses and durable solutions for affected communities. (NAN)
