The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has said it recorded 275,256 human rights violations in May, a five-per cent increase from the previous month.
The NHRC’s Executive Secretary (ES), Tony Ojukwu, disclosed this at the monthly dashboard presentation at the commission’s headquarters in Abuja on Tuesday.
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He identified issues such as escalating sexual violence and brutal attacks among the reported cases.
He said the commission recorded 261,483 violations in April.
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Mr Ojukwu said it was clear that many Nigerians feel unprotected, qunseen, hence the number of people who approached the commission in one month.
“When over a quarter of a million people come to the NHRC in just one month, the message is loud and clear; too many Nigerians feel unprotected, unseen,” he said.
The ES added, “What is most worrisome is the normalisation of this distress where many no longer expect redress or accountability. This is a dangerous place for any society to find itself.”
Zonal records of complaints
Presenting the dashboard report, the Senior Adviser to the NHRC, Hilary Ogbonna, said in the month under focus, the North-west leads in complaints listed with 81,495 cases, followed by the North-central, 72,710.
He said the South-south comes third with 36,545 complaints, followed by the South-west, 32,384; North-east, 27,052 and lastly, the South-east, 25,070.
He identified some of the key trends in May, including infringement of freedom from discrimination, law and enforcement and human dignity, economic and socio-economic rights, denial of the rule of law and access to justice.
According to the NHRC, attacks on freedom of religion were also recorded. These incidents included the killing of three members of the Deeper Life Bible Church in Ondo State and an Islamic scholar murdered by bandits in Zamfara despite a ransom payment.
Other states where freedom of religion was reportedly attacked include Borno, Plateau, and Benue States.
Further breakdown
The commission listed 122 kidnappings, 224 deaths by flood, 37 by boat accidents and 370 by both state and non-state actors in 2024.
Benue State recorded the highest number of killings in May, followed by Plateau and Taraba States.
Violations of women’s and children’s right
The commission documented 1,717 women who complained of being denied access to their children, 1,173 GBV, 1,156 of abandonment, five cases of rape, 3,361 of domestic violence and 1,152 of sexual violence.
According to the report, in the month under focus, 1,054 children were abandoned, 518 were subjected to forced marriage, and 458 were involved in child labour.
“When you look at the charts there, child marriage is the second. And while you may think that the number is low, child marriage at 518 is a disaster.
This is 518 children whose youth, whose innocence may never be recovered,” Mr Ogbonna said.
One of the cases the commission highlighted includes that of a pregnant woman who bandits abducted.
According to the NHRC official, the woman gave birth to twins in captivity, but the bandits fed the twins to dogs.
Other cases included the defilement of a two-year-old by the stepfather and a six-year-old by a 35-year-old.
Despite the provisions of the law against the rape of minors, this issue is often reflected in the monthly dashboard.
In January, PREMIUM TIMES compiled cases of rape of minors to be noted in the year, reflecting a troubling trend that persists and signals the heightened risks girls potentially face from sexual predators in the year.
Given the prevalence of rape cases, where offenders are rarely brought to justice, often only after extended trials, sometimes prosecution fatigue leads to the abandonment of cases or the failure to present witnesses and evidence in court, resulting in the acquittal of offenders.
However, in May, a man was sentenced to life imprisonment for raping and impregnating a 15-year-old.
READ ALSO: NHRC records 261,483 complaints, killings in Benue, Borno, Plateau in
April
Investigations completed
Mr Ogbonna disclosed that the commission completed 703 investigations in May. The breakdown showed 205 cases were completed in the North-west, 190 in the North-central, 168 in the North-east, 106 in the South-west, and 17 each in the South-east and South-south.
He also said the NHRC had summoned the Nigerian Police Force (NPF) officials and sent letters regarding 37 cases.
He also said the commission conducted 101 visits to correctional and detention centres and three military formations.
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