NHRC sees 20% rise in human rights complaints in July

The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has reported that it received 354,997 complaints from across Nigeria in July. This marks a 20 percent increase compared to June.

The commission shared this information at its office in Abuja during the monthly presentation of its complaints dashboard in August.

Tony Ojukwu, the Executive Secretary of the NHRC, said the dashboard highlights where violations are most common and where urgent action is needed.

"This figure alongside insights from our Human Rights Observatory paints a sobering picture of the scale of human rights concerns Nigerians continue to face," he stated.

Among the complaints were serious allegations of sexual violence against children.

"We must call for attention on sexual violence against children across the country, which has come to a defining head in this past month with a record 25 sexual violence cases on children and minors from our human rights observatory," Mr Ojukwu, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, said.

"These are not just human rights violations but, if not managed, could have a lasting impact on the health and mental well-being of the survivors."

Other complaints included online harassment, cyberbullying, data exploitation, digital surveillance, blackmail, and extortion.

Hilary Ogbonna, the Senior Human Rights Adviser to the NHRC, said human rights violations by law enforcement agents topped the chart of violations. This trend is similar to what was recorded in June.

The NHRC reported complaints where women were primarily affected: 3,426 cases of domestic violence, 67 cases of sexual violence, and 23 cases of rape.

Like the previous month, child abandonment was the most common child rights violation, followed by children caught in custody battles.

The commission also reported resolving 10,084 cases and visiting 124 custodial centres, police stations, and places of detention.

Mr Ogbonna mentioned that the commission summoned the police 26 times and visited the military ten times.

According to the dashboard, the North-central region had the highest number of complaints with 149,271 cases, accounting for 42 percent of the total. The North-west followed with 67,557 cases, the North-east with 66,205, the South-east with 43,982, and the South-west with 14,106. The South-south had the lowest total at 13,876.

The commission listed the top ten states with the most violations. Benue topped the July report, followed by the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Borno, Kaduna, Niger, Plateau, Imo, Sokoto, Bauchi, and Kogi states.

The violations recorded in July included mass killings, especially in Benue and Plateau.

The dashboard noted that 382 people were killed and 230 kidnapped in July.

Ongoing attacks on rural communities in Benue have displaced many residents and disrupted local farming.

During the dashboard presentation on Tuesday, Mr Ojukwu also spoke about hate speech from some politicians during the recent Osun State governorship election. He mentioned remarks made by an Islamic cleric, Sani Jingir, during a mass wedding in Kano State.

On August 11, the NHRC called for the arrest of Mr Jingir because of his comments on the Muslim-Muslim presidential ticket of the All Progressive Congress (APC). Despite this, no action has been taken by the authorities so far.

The NHRC also called for the suspension and arrest of Senator Francis Fadahunsi, who issued death threats to members of the Accord Party in Ilesa ahead of the Osun State governorship election.

During Tuesday’s presentation, Mr Ojukwu stressed the need to prosecute these cases as political campaigns begin for the 2027 general elections.

He said this is not the time for divisive talk. He called for caution from all political, religious, and traditional leaders.

"Ladies and gentlemen, as we head into the 2027 polls, it has become pertinent that the Commission restate its call on our politicians, religious and traditional rulers to eschew hateful and divisive rhetoric and politics as these have negative impacts on the enjoyment of human rights."