{"id":162826,"date":"2025-05-17T09:21:20","date_gmt":"2025-05-17T08:21:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/nigeria\/uncategorized\/over-261000-rights-violations-reported-in-april-killings-surge-in-middle-belt-nhrc"},"modified":"2025-05-17T10:23:25","modified_gmt":"2025-05-17T09:23:25","slug":"over-261000-rights-violations-reported-in-april-killings-surge-in-middle-belt-nhrc","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/nigeria\/policy\/over-261000-rights-violations-reported-in-april-killings-surge-in-middle-belt-nhrc","title":{"rendered":"Over 261,000 rights violations reported in April, killings surge in Middle Belt \u2013 NHRC"},"content":{"rendered":"

Africa-Press – Nigeria. <\/strong><\/span>The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has raised concern over what it describes as an alarming spike in human rights violations across Nigeria, revealing that it received 261,483 complaints in April 2025 alone.<\/p>\n

Executive Secretary of the Commission, Tony Ojukwu (SAN), made this known on Friday while decrying the increasing wave of violence, particularly in the Middle Belt region, which he said accounted for the highest number of killings.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn April 2025, there were 261,483 complaints. Why this number is significant: it represents only the visible portion of a much deeper situation,\u201d Ojukwu said.<\/p>\n

He noted that the most prevalent forms of human rights abuse during the month were killings and kidnappings, with Benue, Plateau, and Borno states emerging as epicenters of the crisis.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe killings in Plateau and Benue states, as well as the resurgence of Boko Haram and ISWAP attacks in Borno, have left hundreds of citizens injured and dead,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe crisis in the Middle Belt is not new but has continued for decades without a solution.\u201d<\/p>\n

According to the Commission\u2019s data, the Middle Belt region especially Benue, Plateau, and Borno accounted for 60 percent of all killings recorded nationwide in April.<\/p>\n

Complaints from the region alone made up 35 percent of the national total, reflecting a 20 percent increase from March 2025.<\/p>\n

The NHRC said it successfully concluded 863 complaints and petitions related to human rights violations during the period, but stressed that the surge in cases far outweighs what is being addressed.<\/p>\n

Ojukwu called for urgent intervention from all levels of government to investigate and prosecute perpetrators of human rights abuses.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe call for independent, impartial, prompt investigation of all the cases stated. Support services for all victims. Accountability for all perpetrators. Sustained investment in all peacebuilding,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Reiterating the Commission\u2019s stance, Ojukwu added: \u201cThe right to life is non-negotiable. It must be protected at all costs.\u201d<\/p>\n

He urged the media, civil society, and the international community to amplify the voices of victims and ensure sustained pressure for justice and reform.<\/p>\n

For More News And Analysis About Nigeria<\/span> Follow Africa-Press<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Africa-Press – Nigeria. The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has raised concern over what it describes as an alarming spike in human rights violations across Nigeria, revealing that it received 261,483 complaints in April 2025 alone. Executive Secretary of the Commission, Tony Ojukwu (SAN), made this known on Friday while decrying the increasing wave of […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":84,"featured_media":162825,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[24,14],"tags":[17281,718,2636,1482,254],"class_list":["post-162826","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-all-news","category-policy","tag-complaint","tag-iswap","tag-middle-belt","tag-nhrc","tag-nigeria"],"yoast_head":"\nOver 261,000 rights violations reported in April, killings surge in Middle Belt \u2013 NHRC - Nigeria<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has raised concern over what it describes as an alarming spike in human righ ...\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/nigeria\/policy\/over-261000-rights-violations-reported-in-april-killings-surge-in-middle-belt-nhrc\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Over 261,000 rights violations reported in April, killings surge in Middle Belt \u2013 NHRC\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has raised concern over what it describes as an alarming spike in human righ ...\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/nigeria\/policy\/over-261000-rights-violations-reported-in-april-killings-surge-in-middle-belt-nhrc\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Nigeria\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2025-05-17T08:21:20+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-05-17T09:23:25+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/nigeria\/sites\/3\/2025\/05\/sm_1747461235.717543.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1200\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"933\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"cfeditoren\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"cfeditoren\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"2 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/nigeria\/policy\/over-261000-rights-violations-reported-in-april-killings-surge-in-middle-belt-nhrc#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/nigeria\/policy\/over-261000-rights-violations-reported-in-april-killings-surge-in-middle-belt-nhrc\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"cfeditoren\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/nigeria\/#\/schema\/person\/068c7ab4e9634ae78ec5d54ec46598bb\"},\"headline\":\"Over 261,000 rights violations reported in April, killings surge in Middle Belt \u2013 NHRC\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-05-17T08:21:20+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-05-17T09:23:25+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/nigeria\/policy\/over-261000-rights-violations-reported-in-april-killings-surge-in-middle-belt-nhrc\"},\"wordCount\":355,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/nigeria\/policy\/over-261000-rights-violations-reported-in-april-killings-surge-in-middle-belt-nhrc#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/nigeria\/sites\/3\/2025\/05\/sm_1747461235.717543.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"Complaint\",\"ISWAP\",\"Middle Belt\",\"NHRC\",\"Nigeria\"],\"articleSection\":[\"all news\",\"Policy\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/nigeria\/policy\/over-261000-rights-violations-reported-in-april-killings-surge-in-middle-belt-nhrc#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/nigeria\/policy\/over-261000-rights-violations-reported-in-april-killings-surge-in-middle-belt-nhrc\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/nigeria\/policy\/over-261000-rights-violations-reported-in-april-killings-surge-in-middle-belt-nhrc\",\"name\":\"Over 261,000 rights violations reported in April, killings surge in Middle Belt \u2013 NHRC - 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