By Mercy Peter
The Executive Secretary, National Human Rights Commission, Dr. Tony Ojukwu, Friday disclosed that the Commission recorded much higher right abuse in January 2025 when compared with the same period in the previous year.
No fewer than 169,850 complaints of human rights violations were received across the country, in January 2025 Commission said.
This was however lower when compared to December 2024.
Speaking at the presentation of the January 2025 Human Rights Situation Dashboard on Friday, Ojukwu said the complaints were received from the commission’s offices across the country.
He said: “This month (January) we received 169,850 complaints from our 38 offices, a stark reminder that human rights violations persist in diverse forms and at an alarming scale. Each of these complaints represents a person, a family, or a community seeking justice, accountability, and relief.”
He noted that 169,850 complaints represent over 100% decrease from December 2024 complaints and over 1000% increase compared to January 2024.
He said: “Our duty is to ensure that these voices are not just heard, but that tangible action follows. The complaints and our observatory show us that the human rights ecosystem continues to be challenging. In the North-East, we are seeing the resurgence of Boko Haram and in the North West banditry and insurgency continue to challenge our communities. Violence and criminalities in the South East are assuming alarming dimensions impacting on human rights.
“While our efforts have led to significant interventions, the persistence of these violations raises critical questions: Are our systems strong enough to prevent recurring abuses? Are we bridging the gaps between violations and meaningful remedies? Are we holding perpetrators accountable while protecting survivors from further harm? What is our policy for the protection of civilians and mitigation of harm during conflict?”
“As we engage with this month’s trends, let us focus on strengthening preventive measures,closing protection gaps, and enhancing collaboration with state and non-state actors to reinforce human rights protections at every level. Our responsibility is not just to document human rights violations but to drive real, lasting change in governance, security, and social justice. It is our fervent hope that this dashboard will ignite the required change to build the Nigeria of our dreams.
“Our dear partners, colleagues and gentlemen of the media, I will like to reiterate that 2025 is a milestone year for the National Human Rights Commission as it marks its 30th anniversary of its
establishment, having been established in 1995. We have witnessed over the last three decades, a human rights trajectory which indicates progress even though at a slow pace. But we must not give up as governments at national and state level continue to adopt legal, policy and institutional frameworks to achieve human rights for all.
“The revival of the local government National Human Rights Commission system through their new autonomy is a game changer. It is pertinent that the role of the ‘Office of the Citizen’ should not be jettisoned. For every successful society, the role of the civil society to hold the government to account and the role of the media to ‘torchlight’ governance and shine light on our leaders can never be over-emphasised.”
