Nigerian Government Orders INSO to Exit Humanitarian Aid Sector
The Nigerian government has ordered the International NGO Safety Organisation (INSO) to immediately cease its operations and withdraw from the country.
INSO Country Director for Nigeria, Zeljko (Jack) Toncic, confirmed the directive in an official statement. He explained that INSO received a formal request from Nigerian authorities to suspend all its humanitarian activities.
In response, the organisation has complied by immediately halting its services to humanitarian partners across Nigeria.
“Dear colleagues. Today, INSO received a formal request from Nigerian authorities to suspend its humanitarian activities in the country. In strict compliance with this decision, INSO is immediately suspending all of its services to humanitarian partners in Nigeria,” Toncic said.
INSO has been active in Nigeria since 2016, supporting more than 110 humanitarian organisations and playing a critical role in enabling the safe delivery of aid throughout the country.
He emphasized the organisation’s commitment to humanitarian principles, stating, “INSO’s global activities are grounded in a strict adherence to the humanitarian principles of neutrality, impartiality, and independence.”
As a humanitarian NGO, INSO operates independently from any political agendas and maintains full transparency with relevant authorities, aiming to ensure continuous support for humanitarian efforts.
“We maintain complete independence from any political objectives and operate with full transparency toward relevant authorities, with the aim of ensuring continued service delivery to our partners,” Toncic added.
INSO has expressed its willingness to engage Nigerian authorities to clarify its role and hopes that open dialogue can help resolve the situation for the benefit of the NGOs it supports and the civilian populations they serve.
“INSO is willing to engage with Nigerian authorities to clarify our mandate and we sincerely hope that a space for dialogue may help this situation, for the benefit of the humanitarian NGOs we support and the civilian populations you serve,” Toncic said.
Established in 2011, INSO is an international NGO dedicated to supporting humanitarian aid workers by providing safety coordination platforms in insecure environments. Its services include real-time incident tracking, analytical reports, safety data mapping, crisis management support, staff orientations, and training—all offered free to registered NGOs.
Globally, INSO supports over 1,000 NGOs in 16 of the world’s most insecure countries, helping to protect aid workers and ensure humanitarian assistance reaches those in need.
The post Nigerian Government Orders INSO to Exit Humanitarian Aid Sector appeared first on Kano Times.
