By Rahmat Abdulazeez
…There are concerns over our abilities to prevent abuses- Dr. Ojukwu
The Executive secretary of the National Human Rights Commission, NHRC, Dr. Tony Ojukwu, SAN has decried the rising wave of human rights violations in Nigeria saying it is no longer just a statistic but a national emergency.
Speaking at the presentation of January 2025 Human Rights Dashboard on Friday, 14th of February, 2025, at the Commissions’ headquarters in Abuja, Ojukwu said with 169,850 complaints recorded by the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) in January 2025 alone, the country is still grappling with widespread insecurity, systemic injustices, and an alarming surge in domestic and sexual abuse cases.
According to the ES, though the complaints in the month of January 2025 showed a significant decrease from the previous months, he wondered if our system as a nation is strong enough to prevent recurring human right abuses.
Enumerating the various human rights concerns, Ojukwu said while Boko Haram is resurging in the North-East, especially in Borno and Yobe states, the terrorism and banditry in the North-west through the Lakurawa sect, and violence escalates in the South-East. According to him these crisis extends beyond armed conflicts.
Victims of sexual violence, domestic abuse, and gender-based crimes are rising at an unprecedented rate, exposing the failures of law enforcement and the justice system.
In his words: “Each complaint represents a person, a family, or a community seeking justice, accountability, and relief. While we have made interventions, we must ask ourselves: Are we truly bridging the gap between violations and meaningful remedies?”
“Reports of rape, child molestation, and intimate partner violence have skyrocketed.
“Many victims remain silent due to fear, stigma, or lack of legal protection.
“Weak prosecution rates mean that perpetrators often walk free, perpetuating a cycle of abuse.
“It’s easy to point fingers at the government, at the police, at the criminals. But the real enemy here is a failing system that prioritizes political survival over human rights and security.
“The NHRC can document violations, but does it have the power to enforce justice?
For every human rights abuse that goes unpunished, a dangerous message is sent: injustice can thrive without consequences.” Ojukwu said.
The National Human Rights Commission, Nhrc in partnership with UNDP, OHCHR and GANHRI has produced the monthly dashboard on human rights situation since January 2024.
The dashboard contains data from complaints lodged at the NHRC 38 offices across Nigeria and human rights violations monitored through NHRC human Rights Observatory.
