The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) said it received a total of 371, 622 human rights violation complaints in the month of September with the North-Central geo-political zone leading in the list.
The Executive Secretary of the commission, Dr Tony Ojukwu, SAN, said this on Monday in Abuja at the presentation of the 2025 September Dashboard report.
Ojukwu said that every month, this platform allows for an honest look at the state of human rights in Nigeria.
“Not merely as figures or trends, but as reflections of lost lives and shirked liberties.
“In September, the commission received a total of 371,622 complaints on human rights violations from across our state offices.
“These complaints cut across violations such as denial of access to justice, unlawful arrest and detention, domestic and sexual violence, torture and discrimination, among others.
“As always, our offices across the country have worked diligently to investigate, mediate and where necessary, refer cases for further action,” he said.
He said the observatory provided a broader view of emerging patterns of abuse nationwide.
He added that the September observatory reveals persistent and evolving threats to human rights across all six geo-political zones.
“The North-Central recorded the highest number of incidents, mainly linked to banditry, kidnapping and road accidents.
“The North-West and North-East followed closely with cases of terror attacks, abductions and sexual violence.
“The Southern zones experienced a mix of domestic violence, police abuses, mob actions and fatal road accidents. Overall, violations of the right to life accounted for the majority of incidents, reflecting the toll of insecurity and preventable violence in our country.
“Among the states most affected in September were Niger, Kwara, Plateau, Kogi and Borno, each reporting multiple layers of violence and insecurity,” he said.
On the issue of the talks on religion genocide, Ojukwu said, “We are ready to lead in this conversation and we call on government, non-state actors and international development partners to join us in this regard.’’
Ojukwu used the opportunity to thank their state offices, partners, civil society allies and media among others.
He further extended their appreciation to the United Nations Development Programme and the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights for its support through the Tripartite Partnership Programme (TPP).
“We also appreciate the Royal Norwegian Government for its support to the TPP programme.”
Presenting the dashboard and observatory reports, Mr Hiliary Ogbonna, senior human rights adviser and coordinator of the project said that North-Central recorded 153, 967 out of the 371, 622 complaints recorded in September.
North-West followed with 73,167, North-East, 69,973, South-East, 46, 409, South-South, 14, 144 and the least South-West 13, 962.
He lamented the violations of children’s rights as in child abandonment, child labour.
“We are also seeing increasingly issues of child labour. Child labour has become a major aspect of our violation of children’s rights.
“Some would say that it was a result of the economic situation in the country children are forced to go and engage in economic activities, but remember that we are a nation of laws.
“It is not just a national law, it is customary international law that children should not be subjected to inhuman and degrading treatment,” he said.
He lamented that they received complaints of 336 killings, 361 kidnappings and 144 deaths by accident.
He also drew attention to a new terror group in Nasarawa State called `Wulowulo’ which should be checked or it will degenerate to a bigger threat.
Ogbonna highlighted the increase in religious genocide which cut across the killings in the two zones.
“If people cannot exercise their right to practice religion peacefully and in dignity, then we are losing the most important fabric of our lives,” he said.
According to him, the commission completed investigations in 6,819 complaints, visited police stations, correctional centres and places of detention 144 times.
He added that the commission issued 79 summons and letters to Nigerian police and visited military formations 3 times within the period under review.
