NHRC Expresses Concern Over Escalating Human Rights Violations

NHRC Expresses Concern Over Escalating Human Rights Violations ....KINDLY READ THE FULL STORY HERE▶

The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has voiced deep concerns regarding the escalating cases of human rights violations in Nigeria…..READ ALSO

Mr. Hilary Ogbonna, Senior Adviser to the Executive Secretary of the Commission, expressed these worries during the inauguration of the inaugural edition of the human rights dashboard and observatory.

Ogbonna explained that the observatory’s purpose is to document daily human rights complaints from Nigerians across all 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

“Nigeria grapples with numerous challenges in safeguarding and upholding human rights for its citizens,” Ogbonna remarked.

“Insecurity, manifested in terrorism, banditry, kidnapping, and other non-state actor activities, has significantly hindered the enjoyment of human rights nationwide.”

He noted that economic, fiscal, and monetary reforms introduced by the new administration have exacerbated socio-economic disparities, exacerbating multi-dimensional poverty and impacting human rights enjoyment.

The dashboard, Ogbonna elaborated, provides a monthly analysis and graphical representation of the human rights situation in Nigeria. He emphasized that the Human Rights Observatory’s primary objectives are to monitor, report, and analyze human rights violations across the country, as well as document, analyze, and disseminate human rights complaints.

Presenting the dashboard’s findings, Ogbonna expressed regret that the North-Central zone had the highest number of reported rights violations, with Abuja accounting for 382 out of 1147 complaints in January alone.

He highlighted that these figures only represent a fraction of rights violations, as many cases go unreported.

In January, domestic violence accounted for 528 complaints, state actors 84, private sector actors 64, non-state actors 27, and right to life violations recorded 40 instances.

Ogbonna underscored that the increase in kidnappings, particularly targeting children and young people, posed a significant challenge.

He expressed concern over incidents such as the attacks on traditional institutions, emphasizing that the NHRC remains committed to investigating human rights violations across the country.

He urged the public to report any instances of human rights violations to NHRC offices located across the 36 states and the FCT, emphasizing that the reports will be issued on a monthly basis.