NHRC records 384,196 human rights violation complaints in October, cases up 13.4%

The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) on Tuesday said it recorded 384,196 reports of human rights violations in October across Nigeria, up by 13.4 per cent from the previous month.

The number of cases stood at 338,810 in September.

In October, complaints on the violation of the freedom from discrimination were the highest at 217, 243.

Giving the report at the NHRC’s headquarters in Abuja on Tuesday, the Executive Secretary, Tony Ojukwu, said 180,000 of the 217,243 discrimination cases were from the camps of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs).

He said, “Every complaint is a person, a family, or a community whose rights and dignity need protection.

“Our responsibility is not simply to document these complaints, but to ensure that the information gathered informs appropriate intervention as well as effective remedy.”

He stressed the importance of ensuring that “displacement does not deprive individuals and families of their dignity, security, and access to basic rights.”

Across many states, many Nigerians live under poor conditions of the camps of Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) after fleeing their homes over terrorists’ attacks, banditry and other threats of violence.

The complaints by IDPs reflect a systemic rights issue, social marginalisation, institutional neglect, and discriminatory barriers affecting displaced communities in Nigeria.

Complaints due to insecurity

Other issues of concern highlighted in Tuesday’s dashboard include insecurity, reports of killings, armed attacks, and abductions.

The commission’s Human Rights Observatory documented incidents involving attacks on farming communities, travellers, women, traditional leaders, and security personnel, particularly concerning their reports of mass killings and abductions in parts of Taraba, Borno, Zamfara, Niger, and Plateau State, among other locations.

Mr Ojukwu stressed that the reported incidents are not merely security concerns but also concern issues with “direct humanitarian implications.”

He said, “They affect the right to life, liberty, and dignity, and security of the person. They disrupt livelihoods, restrict freedom of movement, and expose children and mothers.

“The commission reiterates that the protection of lives and property is an environmental responsibility of the state.”

Mr Ojukwu also encouraged political actors to exercise restraint and conduct themselves within the ambit of electoral laws and human rights.

As the 2027 elections draw near, “we should not lose focus on the fact that elections, voting process and outcomes reflect the interplay of various human rights.”

Dashboard details

Senior Human Rights Adviser to the NHRC, Hilary Ogbonna, noted that the human rights complaints recorded by the commission in 2026 have crossed the 2.5 million mark.

The commission recorded 116,739 complaints from the North Central, 65,309 from the South West, 63,120 from the North West, 50,902 from the South South, 49,618 from the North East, and 38,508 from the South East.

The FCT, Lagos, Benue, Kaduna, Borno, Plateau, Kano, Rivers, Imo and Niger were among the top ten states with the highest violation complaints. This is the first time Lagos and Rivers are among the top ten states in 2026.

Mr Ogbonna attributed this to the tension with the upcoming elections, particularly in Rivers State.

The 10 states accounted for 52 per cent of the entire complaints recorded in October.

Women’s right violations

The commission recorded 632 complaints of women denied access to children, 591 abandonment, 339 trafficking and 376 forced marriages.

Mr Ogbonna noted an upsurge in men abandoning their wives.

“Month after month, we try to ask ourselves, even in the commission, what could be the reason for this. It’s not our mandate to go and look for white men abandoning their marriages, but when it becomes a human rights issue, it gives us cause for worry,” he said.

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Six rapes, 18 sexual violence incidents, and 1,873 domestic violence incidents were recorded in the month under focus. According to Mr Ogbonna, they each represent a woman who has been given a permanent scar.

Child rights violations

Similarly, child abandonment in October rose by over 250 per cent to 2,479, with Mr Ogbonna describing the trend as a human rights breach.

Also, 2,093 children were forced into marriage, 2,141 cases of sexual abuse, 2,581 were denied their rights to education, and 1,681 were trafficked.

Cases resolved

Among the entire figures recorded in October, the NHRC resolved 1,455 cases.

The commission also visited 108 places of detention, five military formations and summoned the police 45 times.