ABSTRACT
Internally displaced persons (IDPs) in Nigeria face diverse challenges, including food insecurity and hunger. This research delves into the socio-legal aspects of zero hunger tolerance in the protection and preservation of internally displaced persons in Nigeria. The research adopts the doctrinal methodology relying on primary and secondary sources of information. In Nigeria internally displacement is predominantly caused by violence, conflict, socio-economic factors. These displacements often disrupt livelihood, leaving individuals and families without access to basic necessities, including food, resulting in IDPs being vulnerable to particularly hunger and malnutrition. In response to this challenge international, regional and domestic legal frameworks has being created to protect the rights of internally displaced persons access to adequate food. International mechanisms such as the universal declaration of human rights; the Guiding principles on internal displacement among others, African commission on human and people’s right, the Kampala convention affirm the right to food as a fundamental human right. Nigeria, domestically has enacted laws and policies aimed at addressing zero hunger tolerance of internally displaced. Despite these legal frameworks challenges persist in ensuring zero hunger tolerance among IDPs in Nigeria. A significant challenge is the lack of adequate implementation and enforcement of existing laws and policies, institutional weakness hinders effective delivery and distribution of food aid and humanitarian assistance to internally displaced persons. More so, ongoing conflicts and insecurity in parts of Nigeria aggravates the food insecurity situation for IDPs. Armed groups often target humanitarian convoys and aid workers, disrupting food supplies and other essentials to IDP camps and host communities. The research finds that addressing these challenges, calls for multifaceted approach that includes combination of legal, humanitarian, psychosocial interventions, instruments for the protection and preservation of IDPs, enhancing coordination between government agencies, humanitarian organizations, local 104 communities and addressing the root causes of internal displacement and food insecurity through peace building and development initiative such as empowerment, vocational training, placing emphasis on modern agricultural farming in attaining the aim and objectives of this dissertation which is to achieve self-reliance as the underlying means of achieving sustainable solution. Base on the finding of this research, it further recommends the need for documentation of IDPs to facilitate their identification and help in children’s enrolment into schools. That the concept of zero hunger as enshrined in the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) emphasizes the eradication of hunger and malnutrition in all its forms and calls for sustained efforts towards achieving the SDGs goals. It therefore concludes the achieving zero hunger tolerance among IDPs in Nigeria requires coordinated efforts from both legal and non-legal actors. By upholding the right to food and ensuring its effective implementation, Nigeria can prioritizes the dignity, well-being in protection and preservation of internally displaced persons and intimately contributing to equitable society that is just for all including the internally displaced persons.
