Rights Commission Says Violation Complaints Rise To 371,622 In 1 Month

The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has raised the alarm over the recent surge in human rights violations and killings, especially predominantly in the North Central Region of the country, with complaints rising to 371,622 in one month.

The Executive Secretary of the NHRC, Dr Tony Ojukwu, in his address yesterday at the presentation of the September 2025 Dashboard Report on human rights, revealed that the Commission received about 371,622 human rights violation complaints in September alone.

The report, which also revealed that the North Central was the highest hit in cases of kidnappings, killings and banditry due to the emergence of a new terrorist group known as the Wulowulo terrorist group, predominant in Nasarawa State, also highlighted the resurgence of high numbers in cases of religious violence, sexual violence and child abuses.

Ojukwu said the September observatory revealed persistent and evolving threats to human rights across all six geopolitical zones, adding that the North Central recorded the highest number of incidents, mainly linked to banditry, kidnapping, and road accidents, while the North West and North East followed closely with cases of terror attacks, abductions, and sexual violence.

He said the southern regions experienced a mix of domestic violence, police abuses, mob actions, and fatal road accidents, explaining that overall, violations of the right to life accounted for the majority of incidents, reflecting the toll of insecurity and preventable violence in our country.

The chief human rights officer, who decried attacks on places of worship and the rising incidents of religious intolerance in the country, noted that the situation presents a reason for a national conversation on the normative and legal underpinnings of the right to freedom of religion as the invisible glue that holds the fabric of Nigeria.

Prominent amongst these cases of religious violence he said are the kidnapping of members of the Chosen church in Benue State, the setting of a woman ablaze over an allege blasphemous remarks in Niger State, the killing of 22 villagers during baptism in Niger State and in Zamfara state 43 worshippers were reportedly abducted during prayers in Gidan Turbe Village with another eight worshippers killed during early morning prayers in Yandoto village of the same state.

“Attacks on places of worship, worshippers and religious persons were recorded across seven states. The NHRC is not unaware of the recent conversations on whether or not there exists a form of religious genocide in Nigeria. We believe that the situation presents an opportunity for national conversation on the normative and legal underpinnings of the right to freedom of religion as the invisible glue that holds the fabric of Nigeria. As Nigeria’s National Human Rights Institution, we are ready to lead in this conversation and call on government, non-state actors and international development partners to join us, “Ojukwu stated.

Summary of the September dashboard report reveals that about 153,967 violation complaints were received from North Central, while North West follows with 73,167, North East has 69,973, South West 13 962, South East 46, 409 and South South has 14,144 human rights violation complaints.