The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) said, it received a total of 371,622 complaints of human rights violations across its state offices in September 2025, describing the month as one marked by “wanton killings, deep insecurity, and rising sexual violence.”
Speaking during the presentation of the September 2025 Human Rights Situation Dashboard 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 Commission’s state offices have been working diligently to investigate, mediate, and refer cases for prosecution where necessary.
Ojukwu noted that the Commission’s human rights observatory has continued to highlight persistent and evolving patterns of abuse across the six geopolitical zones adding that, the North Central region recorded the highest number of incidents, largely linked to banditry, kidnapping, and road accidents.
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The North West and North East followed closely, with numerous cases of terror attacks, abductions, and sexual violence. In the southern regions, he reported increased incidents of domestic violence, police abuses, mob actions, and fatal road crashes.
According to the NHRC boss, “Violations of the right to life accounted for the majority of incidents, reflecting the toll of insecurity and preventable violence in our country,” listing Niger, Kwara, Plateau, Kogi, and Borno as the states most affected in September.
He expressed grave concern over what he described as one of the highest recorded figures of sexual violence in recent months, including rape and defilement of minors.
“This has become a worrisome trend even within families and close relationships. Rape is a grievous offence and a gross human rights violation. It debases the humanity of the victim and is a direct affront to the conscience of the society,” he lamented.
Ojukwu also reported that the Commission recorded attacks on places of worship, worshippers, 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 that holds the fabrics of Nigeria,” urging government and civil society actors to join the Commission in addressing the issue.
The NHRC’s findings, Ojukwu said, reaffirm that Nigeria’s human rights challenges remain “deeply intertwined with insecurity, weak accountability systems, and social inequalities.
“The right to life and personal security remain under serious threat, and systemic impunity continues to aid violators of human rights,” he warned.
Presenting the dashboard, the senior human rights adviser to the Commission, Mr Hillary Ogbona said, the 371,622 human rights violation complaints received in the month of September showed an increase of 2.5 percent when compared to the month of August.
He said, 73,167 complaints were received from the North-West, 69,973 from North-East, 153,967 from the North-Central, 13,962 from the South-West, 46,409 from the South-East and 14,144 complaints were received from the South-South region of the country in the month of September, 2025.
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