The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) on Tuesday said it received 365,224 complaints of human rights violations in the month of August.
The period saw a rise in sexual and gender based violence, killings, and abductions, especially in the North-West region of the country.
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During the August dashboard presentation, the Executive Secretary of the NHRC, Tony Ojukwu, explained that the figures were not “mere statistics.” He said they represent the pulse of a people yearning for fairness, justice, and respect.
“The data speaks loudly, spotlighting three critical areas: Freedom from Discrimination, Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights (ESCR), and Law Enforcement and Human Dignity,” Mr Ojukwu said at the commission’s head office in Abuja.
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The highest complaints were received from the North-central, with 152,870, followed by the North-west with 70,002, the North-East with 68,598, the South-East with 45,849, the South-South with 14,041, and the South-West with 13,864.
Mr Ojukwu stated that, “The North-West, particularly Zamfara and Katsina, bore the brunt of banditry, with mass killings like the tragic loss of 50 worshippers in a Katsina mosque and abductions of 45 in Zamfara’s Bakura.”
Similarly, the Senior Human Rights Adviser, Hilary Ogbonna, emphasised the need to address the crisis in the region.
PREMIUM TIMES reported the massacre of at least 50 persons by bandits in Malumfashi on 21 August.
Kidnappings and killings
Presenting the August report, Mr Ogbonna stated that 306 persons were killed and 450 kidnapped in the month in focus.
Mr Ogbonna also noted that these states had the highest number of killings: Katsina State, 64; Benue State, 41; Plateau State, 39; Zamfara State, 25; and Sokoto State, 17.
The perpetrators of the killings were Boko Haram 35, bandits 135, lakurawa 22, cultists 5, unknown gunmen 65, and others 44.
On 16 August, a local government official was killed and a former council vice chairman was kidnapped by armed gangs in Malumfashi.
The crisis in Katsina has been a source of concern. The Chief Whip of the Katsina State House of Assembly, Ibrahim Dikko, lamented the situation in his constituency, Matazu Local Government Area (LGA). He noted that 8 out of 10 wards were under siege by bandits.
Mr Ogbonna urged the government to look into these issues, particularly in Benue, which has continued to suffer attacks.
Despite a visit by President Bola Tinubu to Benue following the Yelwata attack in June, where he urged security personnel to fish out the criminals, the violence in Benue has continued.
Mr Ogbonna stated that so many killings occurred in places of religious worship.
He appealed that the government should protect the right of freedom of religion. “We think that the government should take this whole issue of protecting religious freedom very seriously. Many civil conflicts across the world have been triggered by religious persecution, by religious conflict.”
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Women and children’s rights violations
Denial of access to children was the highest in August, with 2,430 complaints recorded. This was followed by gender based discrimination, 1,428; followed by abandonment, 1,389. 983 women complained of trafficking.
There were 2,981 complaints of domestic violence, 322 sexual violence, and 17 rape recorded.
Meanwhile, the commission recorded 500 complaints of child trafficking, 439 of child marriage, 375 were denied their rights to education, and 373 sexual abuse.
NHRC’s investigations, other activities
In the month under review, the NHRC completed 2,603 investigations, visited 85 correctional centres and places of detention, sent letters of summons to the police 53 times, and visited 7 military formations.
“These trends paint a stark picture. Yet, they also galvanize us to act: to strengthen child protection laws, reform policing with transparency tools, and address land tenure to curb communal violence,” Mr Ojukwu, the NHRC head, said.
