The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has expressed serious concern about rising violations of the right to food, emphasising its importance for overall human rights.

The NHRC Senior Rights Adviser, Hiliary Ogbonna, expressed his concern at the monthly presentation of April dashboard report on human rights violations across the country.

The dashboard is a monthly analysis and graphical presentation of the human rights situation in Nigeria.

Similarly, the observatory is for monitoring, reporting and analysing the human rights violations.

The concern, he said, is particularly acute given the impact of economic hardship on access to nutrition and healthcare, leading to increased vulnerability to disease and mortality.

“The right to life is meaningless without the right to food and gainful employment.

“The commission believes that these rights are fundamental and should be upheld, emphasizing the need for policies that address poverty and ensure access to essential resources,” he said .

He called for economic reforms that prioritise human dignity and social justice, advocating for policies that ensure decent work, fair wages, and access to essential services

”There were killings of four farmers in Akure North, two female farmers in Delta and 14 in Borno.

”Kidnapping has spread to practically every part of the country. And for us, it is something that is very important” he said.

He said in the month of April the commission received complaints of 139 killings in Benue, 119 in Plateau and 227 in other parts of the country.

Mr Ogbonna said that the killings took place in communities where the greater percentage of the food consumed in the country are produced.

”This is worrisome because the people behind these acts are not held accountable.

”There are no conclusive investigations and prosecutions of these people who commit these heinous crimes,” he said.

He called on the military  to step up the security networks in Nigeria to ensure that those responsible are apprehended.

He also said that the constant increase in violations of child and women’s rights was worrisome.

Mr Ogbonna noted that the commission completed 863 investigations, 60 visits to correctional centres and places of detention. 

He added that it also gave 33 summons and letters to Nigeria police as well as 12 visitations to military formations.

Mr Ogbonna noted that the commission received 261,483 complaints with North Central at the top of the chart.

He said also that the April report recorded a 20 per cent increase compared to the March report.

 (NAN)