NHRC Raises Alarm As 2,266 Killed, 857 Kidnapped In 6 Months

The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has raised alarm over the deteriorating human rights violations as well as widespread killings and kidnappings as it presents its human rights situation report for June 2025.

The executive secretary of the commission, Dr. Tony Ojukwu, at the presentation, which was also the half-year dashboard report of the commission in Abuja, said the alarming increase in killings and kidnappings nationwide demands urgent as well as coordinated security intervention.

Ojukwu, who said in June alone, the country was confronted with devastating, violent attacks, with gruesome killings of citizens from affected communities, also called for a national conscience.

He said among the most tragic incidents were the brutal assaults on the Yelewata and Dauda communities in Guma Local Government Area of Benue State, where over 200 innocent lives were lost. He added that these were not mere figures on a report; they were fathers, mothers, children, and breadwinners; families torn apart, livelihoods destroyed, and futures extinguished in moments of senseless brutality.

The executive Secretary also cited the attack on law enforcement agencies as alarming. He lamented that in Kaduna and Niger States, more than 17 soldiers were killed in coordinated attacks which he stressed has also destabilized the already fragile regions.

“Equally distressing was the massacre of over 40 members of the Civilian Joint Task Force (CJTF) in Ruggar Chida, brave individuals who stood on the frontlines to protect their communities, only to pay the ultimate price.

Their deaths leave a void in local security structures, rendering civilians even more exposed to further violence.

“The wave of insecurity plaguing our highways has also intensified. In June alone, more than 50 travellers were abducted along major transit routes in Kogi and Benue States. These are not isolated criminal acts; they represent a direct assault on the fundamental rights to freedom of movement, economic participation, and personal dignity, he lamented.

In his presentation the Senior Human Rights Adviser to the Commission, Hillary Ogbonna, said that June also witnessed increased numbers of sexual and gender based violence with a total of 3,972 domestic violence, 1,471 sexual violence and 18 rapes.