Nigeria: NHRC Laments Rising Cases of Rights Violations, Receives 338,810 Petitions

What the report says

The National Human Rights Commission of Nigeria said in Abuja that it is seeing a sharp rise in rights complaints, reporting 338,810 petitions received in September. The figure was presented by Executive Secretary Tony Ojukwu, who said the total was about 14% higher than the 297,943 complaints recorded in August. The commission said most petitions came from the North-Central region, especially Benue, Plateau and Niger states.

According to the report carried by Vanguard and distributed by AllAfrica, the NHRC linked the increase to broader concerns about insecurity and repeated abuses affecting civilians. Ojukwu said the commission’s dashboard pointed to continuing problems involving the right to life, liberty, dignity and personal security, with particular concern over killings, kidnappings and attacks on communities. The commission also highlighted the vulnerability of women and children to sexual and gender-based violence, exploitation and discrimination.

The NHRC said it wants stronger investigations, better remedies for victims and more preventive action by state institutions. It also called for greater funding to support its work. As part of its monitoring, the commission said it visited 113 detention centres nationwide and issued 56 summons to police over alleged abuses. A human rights adviser, Hillary Ogbonna, also said the dashboard recorded 208 killings by non-state actors and 210 kidnappings in September.

The commission’s remarks matter because they offer a snapshot of human rights pressures in Nigeria and the scale of demand for complaints handling and accountability mechanisms.