By Emma Okereh
The National Human Rights Commission, Tuesday, held it’s 8th edition of the Commission’s monthly human rights dashboard presentation.
The presentation which featured the complaints and investigations for the month of September, showed a spike in the violation of children rights and high level of abandonment.
A welcome statement by the commission’s executive secretary, Tony Ojukwu who was represented by the Director, Legal, noted that the Commission’s dashboard remains an essential resource for stakeholders, offering vital insights and data that highlight the need for our collective response and action.
“As we gather today to review the latest findings, I encourage all of us to appreciate the importance of this platform in promoting accountability, transparency, and advocacy for human rights in our country”.
The commission expressed deep concern about the excessive use of force and tear gas by the Nigeria Police Force on protesters in Abuja, saying that such actions represent a serious violation of the fundamental rights of Nigerian citizens.
The executive secretary disclosed that the NHRC examined data from 305,300 complaints received for the month of September.
In his presentation, the senior human rights advisor, Mr Hilary Ogbonna stated that Kaduna, Benue, Katsina,, Plateau and Sokoto states represented the five top states where killings occured within the period under review..
He stated that child abandonment featured prominently with 2723 children involved even as he decried increased killings by non state actors.
Specifically, 141 killings by non state actors and 191 deaths from road accidents.
“A major issue we are highlighting today is the tragic loss of lives due to road accidents, which severely undermines the enjoyment of human rights for many families. According to the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) and the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), approximately 1,471 individuals have been killed from road crashes in the first quarter of 2024 alone. It is crucial for the government and the Federal Road Safety Corps, to take immediate and sustainable measures to address this crisis and ensure the safety and welfare of all motorists in Nigeria”.
Ogbonna regretted that the human rights violation data continues to rise even as the commission wishes it goes down.
He stated that the commission has initiated and put into action protective mechanism to give effect to the work.
He decried the increasing resort to self help, mob action, witch craft and cult related attacks in the country.
