The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) said it received 371,622 human rights violation complaints in September, with the North-Central geopolitical zone leading the list.

The executive secretary of the commission, Tony Ojukwu (SAN), said this on Monday in Abuja at the presentation of the 2025 September Dashboard report.

Mr Ojukwu said that every month, this platform allows for an honest look at the state of human rights in Nigeria.

“Not merely as figures or trends, but as reflections of lost lives and shirked liberties. In September, the commission received a total of 371,622 complaints on human rights violations from across our state offices.

“These complaints cut across violations such as denial of access to justice, unlawful arrest and detention, domestic and sexual violence, torture, and discrimination, among others.

“As always, our offices across the country have worked diligently to investigate, mediate, and where necessary, refer cases for further action,” he said.

He said the September observatory reveals persistent and evolving threats to human rights across all six geopolitical zones.

“The North-Central recorded the highest number of incidents, mainly linked to banditry, kidnapping, and road accidents. The North-West and North-East followed closely with cases of terror attacks, abductions, and sexual violence.

“The southern zones experienced a mix of domestic violence, police abuses, mob actions, and fatal road accidents. Overall, violations of the right to life accounted for the majority of incidents, reflecting the toll of insecurity and preventable violence in our country.

“Among the states most affected in September were Niger, Kwara, Plateau, Kogi, and Borno, each reporting multiple layers of violence and insecurity,” he said.

On the issue of religious genocide, Mr Ojukwu said, “We are ready to lead in this conversation, and we call on government, non-state actors, and international development partners to join us in this regard.”

Mr Ojukwu thanked their state offices, partners, civil society allies, media, the United Nations Development Programme, and the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights for their support through the Tripartite Partnership Programme (TPP).

“We also appreciate the Royal Norwegian Government for its support of the TPP programme,” he said.

Presenting the dashboard and observatory reports, Hiliary Ogbonna, senior human rights adviser and coordinator of the project, said North-Central recorded 153,967 out of the 371,622 complaints recorded in September.

North-West followed with 73,167, North-East with 69,973, South-East with 46,409, South-South with 14,144, and the least South-West with 13,962.

“We are also seeing increasing issues of child labour. Child labour has become a major aspect of our violation of children’s rights,” he stated, noting that many had blamed the economic situation of the country.

He lamented that the commission received complaints of 336 killings, 361 kidnappings, and 144 deaths by accident.

He also drew attention to a new terror group in Nasarawa State called “Wulowulo,” which should be checked, or it will degenerate to a bigger threat.

Mr Ogbonna highlighted the increase in religious genocide, which cut across the killings in the two zones.

According to him, the commission completed investigations into 6,819 complaints and visited police stations, correctional centres, and places of detention 144 times.

He added that the commission issued 79 summonses and letters to the Nigerian police and visited military formations three times during the period under review.

(NAN)