The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) said it received a total of 371,622 complaints of human rights violations in its state offices in September 2025, describing the month as one marked by “senseless killings, deep insecurity and rising sexual violence.”
During the presentation of the September 2025 Human Rights Situation Panel in Abuja on Monday, the Executive Secretary of the Commission, Dr Tony Ojukwu, SAN, said the complaints covered a wide range of violations, including denial of access to justice, unlawful arrests and detention, domestic and sexual violence, torture and discrimination.
According to him, the state offices of the Commission have been working diligently to investigate, mediate and refer cases for prosecution when necessary.
Ojukwu noted that the Commission’s human rights observatory has continued to highlight persistent and evolving patterns of abuse in the six geopolitical zones, adding that the North Central region recorded the highest number of incidents, largely related to banditry, kidnapping and road accidents.
The northwest and northeast followed closely, with numerous cases of terrorist attacks, kidnappings and sexual violence. In southern regions, it reported an increase in incidents of domestic violence, police abuse, mob actions and fatal road accidents.
According to the NHRC boss, “violations of the right to life accounted for the majority of incidents, reflecting the cost of insecurity and avoidable violence in our country,” listing Niger, Kwara, Plateau, Kogi and Borno as the most affected states in September.
He expressed grave concern over what he described as one of the highest recorded numbers of sexual violence in recent months, including rape and desecration of minors.
“This has become a worrying trend even within families and close relationships. Rape is a serious crime and a grave violation of human rights. It degrades the humanity of the victim and is a direct affront to the conscience of society,” she lamented.
Ojukwu also reported that the Commission recorded attacks on places of worship, worshipers and religious figures in seven states, raising concerns about the growing threat to freedom of religion, conscience and thought.
He called for a national conversation on what he described as “the invisible glue holding the fabrics of Nigeria together,” and urged government and civil society actors to join the Commission in addressing the issue.
The NHRC’s findings, Ojukwu said, reaffirm that human rights challenges in Nigeria remain “deeply intertwined with insecurity, weak accountability systems and social inequalities.
“The right to life and personal security continue to be seriously threatened, and systemic impunity continues to aid human rights violators,” he warned.
Introducing the panel, the Commission’s Senior Human Rights Adviser, Hillary Ogbona, said the 371,622 complaints of human rights violations received in the month of September showed an increase of 2.5 percent compared to the month of August.
He said that in the month of September 2025, 73,167 complaints were received from the Northwest, 69,973 from the Northeast, 153,967 from the Central North, 13,962 from the Southwest, 46,409 from the Southeast and 14,144 complaints from the South-South region of the country.
READ MORE FROM: Newslodge