Human and Community Rights Centre (HCRC) Blog

INVESTIGATING THE HUMAN RIGHTS CONDITIONS IN NIGERIAN PRISONS   Prison is an institution designed for people who have been convicted of crimes. These individuals, known as prisoners or inmates, are kept in continuous custody for the duration of the term of their jail sentence. Prison structures had been in existence from ancient civilizations, the widespread use of long-term confinement as a form of criminal punishment began only in the 15th century. However, every industrialized nation today has prisons, and the importance of prison structure throughout the world is for the punishment of the commission of crimes. The breach of a criminal law usually result to the offender being tried in a court and if found guilty will be convicted and then sentenced to a certain jail term. However, the sentence may include fines, probation, community service or incarceration. This article tends to investigate the basic rights of prisoners in Nigeria as enshrined in the constitution and various ...

  RELIGIOUS FREEDOM VS. STATE REGULATION: ANALYZING THE HIJAB CONTROVERSY IN PUBLIC INSTITUTIONS IN NIGERIA Introduction Nigeria is a deeply religious and culturally diverse country with a legal system that recognizes the fundamental right to freedom of religion. This right is enshrined in the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, which seeks to ensure that no individual is discriminated against on the basis of their religious beliefs. However, the implementation of this right has not been without controversy, particularly when it intersects with state policies and secularism. One such controversy is the recurring debate over the wearing of the hijab by Muslim women and girls in public institutions such as schools and government offices. This article critically explores the hijab controversy, assessing the legal, social, and constitutional implications of state regulation in contrast with the right to religious freedom. Legal Framework on Religious Freedom in Nigeri...

  Human Rights Watch Sounds Alarm on ‘Killer Robots’ Autonomous weapons systems—commonly referred to as “killer robots”—pose serious and far-reaching risks to human rights in both wartime and peacetime, Human Rights Watch warned in a report released today. The 61-page report, titled “A Hazard to Human Rights: Autonomous Weapons Systems and Digital Decision-Making,” argues that these technologies, which are capable of selecting and attacking targets based on sensor data rather than human judgment, undermine the rights to life, peaceful assembly, privacy, and legal remedy. They also challenge fundamental principles of human dignity and non-discrimination. The organization called upon governments around the world to urgently pursue a multilateral treaty that would establish clear legal restrictions on the development and deployment of such systems. With growing military investments and rapid technological advances, Human Rights Watch warned that the lack of meaningful human control ov...

  Ojukwu Warns: Unregulated Artificial Intelligence a Threat to Human Rights Dr. Tony Ojukwu, OFR, SAN, Executive Secretary of the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), has issued a strong call for the ethical governance of Artificial Intelligence (AI), cautioning that unregulated development of AI technologies could deepen social inequalities, violate privacy, and pose serious threats to fundamental human rights. Speaking at a stakeholder conference on Human Rights Dimensions of Artificial Intelligence Governance and the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights: Challenges and Opportunities in Africa, Dr. Ojukwu underscored the urgent need for robust ethical frameworks to safeguard civil liberties and prevent misuse. He identified key concerns such as algorithmic bias, job displacement, and cyber vulnerabilities as critical challenges requiring immediate attention. Mr. Eustace Onuegbu, President of the International Network for Corporate Social Responsibility (IN-CSR)...

Coalition of 77 Civil Society Organisations has Called on President Tinubu to End the Violence of Genocide in Middle Belt News: 29/4/2025 The call was made in a communiqué issued at the end of the citizens dialogue titled “Defeating Terror in the Middle Belt,” on Monday in Lagos. The communique was signed by Ier Jonathan-Ichaver, Kiyitwe Gotom, Marie Ene Orgah Esq, Redzie Jugo Esq, Samuel Danauta, and Vitalis Ortese, on behalf of the Middle Belt Coalition. A demand was also made that, there should be a comprehensive relief measures that will be available for victims, medical support, trauma counselling, and compensation, the protection of lives in the Middle Belt, fulfilment of constitutional duties of preventing the rising pattern of killings and genocide by the federal, state and local governments, and there should be transparency condemned aspect of security funds used by the state governors and local government chairpersons. The harassment and intimidation of victims, community l...

People are starving in Gaza Said Ammar Hijazi at the International Court of Justice News: 29/4/2025 The International Court of Justice on it second day of hearing Israel’s humanitarian obligations to Palestinians was told by Ammar Hijazi who is a top Palestinian official, that the people are starving in Gaza where all United Nations supported bakeries are shut down and Israel has used humanitarian aid as a weapon of war and nine Palestinians has no access to safe drinking water. Israel has also committed a livestreamed genocide against Palestinians said Amnesty International. The attacks done by Israel have killed at least 48 Palestinians on Monday across Gaza, with a tent camp for displaced people south of al-Mawasi, near Khan Younis, which is one of the primary targets. photo Credit: Unsplash

  Activist Petitions ECOWAS, Others Over Delta State’s Amended Child Rights Law A prominent child rights advocate and convener of #OperationSaveNigerianChildren, Comrade Ighorhiohwunu Aghogho, has petitioned the ECOWAS Commission, the National Assembly, and the Attorney-General of the Federation, seeking urgent intervention regarding the controversial Delta State Child Rights (Amendment) Law, 2024. In addition, Aghogho is calling for the issuance of a nolle prosequi in respect of a criminal case instituted against him by the Delta State Government. The petition, addressed to the Attorney-General of the Federation, was also copied to Comrade Omoyele Sowore and the National Coordinator of the Take It Back Movement, thereby garnering broader civil society support for the initiative. Furthermore, the petition seeks the discontinuance of criminal proceedings in the matter of FGN v. Ighorhiohwunu Aghogho (FHC/WR/92C/2022), arising from Aghogho’s advocacy against systemic child traffickin...

  SERAP Urges Zuckerberg to Pay Fine, Compensate Nigerian Victims of Rights Violations The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has called upon the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Meta Platforms Incorporated, Mr. Mark Zuckerberg, to immediately pay the $220 million fine imposed upon Meta by the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC), a decision subsequently upheld by the Competition and Consumer Protection Tribunal. SERAP also urged Mr. Zuckerberg and Meta to, in addition to the fine, provide justice and effective remedies, including adequate compensation and assurances of non-repetition, for victims of grave violations of Nigerian consumer, data protection, and privacy laws, as well as applicable international human rights standards. Moreover, SERAP has demanded that Zuckerberg and Meta immediately pay the additional $35,000 awarded by the Tribunal to the FCCPC as the cost of its investigation. The organisation further called upo...

  STATE SURVEILLANCE AND RIGHT TO PRIVACY IN NIGERIA INTRODUCTION In the digital age, state surveillance has become a dominant feature of modern governance, often justified under the pretext of national security, public order, and crime prevention. However, this development has raised critical human rights concerns, particularly the infringement of the right to privacy. In Nigeria, technological advancements and an evolving security landscape have spurred the government's increasing interest in digital surveillance. This paper seeks to examine the legal framework governing state surveillance in Nigeria and its compatibility with constitutionally and internationally guaranteed rights to privacy. The Right to Privacy: Meaning and Scope The right to privacy is a multidimensional right encompassing personal autonomy, dignity, data protection, and freedom from arbitrary interference. Article 12 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR, 1948), Article 17 of the International Co...

  The advent of the Internet and it's impact on Reading and Research Introduction The internet is one of the greatest recent advancements in the world of information and communication technology. This has become a useful instrument that has advanced the process of making the world a global village. The internet has practically transformed modern life, connecting several persons across the globe and has been a vital instrument in modern day research and reading.  The internet was initially created as a tool for academic and military communication, and it has evolved into a vast, decentralized network that is now integral to our daily life. This article traces the history of the internet, exploring its development, underlying technologies, and the impact it has on research and reading. The Birth of the Internet The use of the internet has evolved over some decades ago. The internet started in the 1960s with the development of Advanced Research Projects Agency Network (ARPANET), ...

  Australia: Parties Address Human Rights Issues Sydney – Voters in the upcoming Australian election on May 3, 2025, should consider where political candidates stand on key human rights issues, Human Rights Watch said today. Before casting their ballots, voters should weigh the candidates’ commitments to respecting, protecting and fulfilling human rights within Australia and internationally. Human Rights Watch on 4th April, 2025 sent a questionnaire to the three largest political parties in Australian federal elections – the Australian Labor Party, the Liberal National Coalition and the Australian Greens. All three parties responded. An Australian researcher at Human Rights Watch, Annabel Hennessy said that, “Australians face a range of issues affecting their human rights, including the cost of living, the climate crisis, refugee intake, and systemic injustices impacting First Nations people, including disproportionate incarceration and the forced separation of families in the chil...

  US: Trump’s First 100 Days an Assault on Rights Protestors hold signs as they march towards the White House during a Free Kilmar Abrego and a nationwide "Hands Off!" protest against US President Donald Trump's policies and executive actions, in Washington, DC, April 19, 2025. Human Rights Watch said, “Trump administration’s first 100 days in office have been a relentless barrage of actions that violate, threaten, or undermine the human rights of people in the United States and abroad.”  To illustrate the breadth and depth of the damage done since Donald Trump took office on January 20, 2025, Human Rights Watch released a list of 100 harmful actions during these 100 days. “In just 100 days, the Trump administration has inflicted enormous damage to human rights in the United States and around the world,” said Tanya Greene, US program director at Human Rights Watch. “We are deeply concerned that these attacks on fundamental freedoms will continue unabated.” The human right...

Amnesty International Nigeria Said Over 2600 lives lost to attacks on Benue communities in the Last 12 months News: 24/4/2025 Amnesty International Nigeria revealed that the violence in Benue State, has claimed over 2600 lives, mostly women and children in attacks on 50 communities between January 2023 and February 2024. The attacks by armed bandits have also displaced thousands of families. The organisation said that the level of insecurity has affected education where about 55 schools has been destroyed or closed down, thereby causing hundreds of children out of school. The organisation further urged the Nigerian government and the relevant authorities to take prompt action in order to address the real cause of the violence and ensure that the citizens are safe. Photo Credit: Pexel

European Union With Partners CSOs To Train Security Personnel to Address the Issue of Extrajudicial Killing News: 24/4/2025   To stop extrajudicial killings and violation of human rights in the country, has led the European Union and its partners engaged private security in Rivers State to organize a workshop centred on security and human rights. The training workshop aim at addressing human right risks and how it would help to ensure respect for human rights in their operations. For those participating, the training is important as the Voluntary Principles on security and human rights create a framework to give a comprehensive assessment of human rights violation associated with security. The refresher peer exchange workshop for private security actors is designed to foster greater inclusion and active participation in decision making. Photo Credit: Pexel

HURIWA: Condemns Assassination Attempt on Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan News: 17/4/2025 Attempt on the life of Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan’s was condemned by the Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA), that it is an attack on democracy. The National Coordinator, Comrade Emmanuel Onwubiko, the pro-democracy and civil rights advocacy group narrated that the incident occurred Tuesday at the house of Senator Natasha in Obeiba-Ihima, Okehi Local Government Area of Kogi State.  Zagazola Makama, the Chief Security Officer to the Senator, Mr. Yakubu Ovanja added that around the hours of 1:00 a.m., at least three armed persons with cutlasses and firearms attacked the house thereby vandalizing property and shattering windows. With the help of the security operatives of the Okehi Police Division no further harm was done. In respect to the incident, HURIWA urged that an investigation be conducted and immediate prosecution of the perpetrators. Furthermore, the Inspector General of Police an...

Alabic Quadri a Victim of Broken Justice : Inibehe Effiong News: 17/4/2025 Alabi Quadri, was the young teenager boy who stood in front of Peter Obi’s convoy in 2023. Report had it that, he was abducted by some angry hoodlums in his area over not receiving a share of the gifts he received after his fame. The hoodlums dragged him to the Amukoko Police Station where he was subsequently detained and charged to Court for conspiracy to commit armed robbery. He has been in custody since January. Inibehe Effiong Quadri's lawyer, stated that the teenager, was under 18 and a victim of a broken justice system. Human rights lawyer Dele Farotimi was also present in court. The court found no evidence against the teenager. Therefore he was discharged and acquittal.

CAN challenges Kano’s blasphemy law after ECOWAS verdict. News: 15/4/2025 The Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) has called on the Federal Government of Nigeria to comply with the recent judgment of the ECOWAS Court of Justice, which declared certain provisions of Kano State’s Shariah law, particularly on blasphemy, incompatible with international human rights standards. In a judgment delivered on Friday the 11th April, 2025 in a suit marked ECW/CCJ/APP/41/23, the regional court held that some sections of Kano State’s Penal and Sharia Penal Codes violated Nigeria’s obligations under global and regional human rights frameworks. Specifically, the court declared Section 382(b), which prescribes the death penalty for insulting Prophet Muhammad, as “excessive and disproportionate in a democratic society.” The regional court ordered the Nigerian government to repeal or amend the relevant provisions and similar laws to align with international legal standards. However, the Kano State Gove...

Lawyer tasks media on justice, human rights. News: 16/4/2025   A Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Ngozi Olehi, has harped on the urgent need for journalists to rise and continue to play the roles entrusted unto them by their profession and the laws of the country. Barr. Olehi made the call during an interactive parley with journalists in Owerri. He said journalists as watchdogs of society, are supposed to be at the forefront of agenda-setting and championing the advocacy and struggle against societal ills like injustice, abuse of people’s rights and underdevelopment. He said all over the country, in communities, states and at the national level, allegations and cries against these ills were rampant and increasing daily, making it imperative for journalists whose callings positioned them to help checkmate, to rise and take up the responsibility. Photo Credit: Unsplash

Israeli Strikes on Civilian Population in Lebanon is a Concern: UN Human Rights Office News: 15/4/2025 The UN human rights office made their concern known on Tuesday about the need to protect civilians in Lebanon as Israeli military operations have continued to kill civilians there since a ceasefire in November. The UN Human Rights Office Spokesperson Thameen Al-Kheetan said: “The Israeli military operations in Lebanon continue to kill and injure civilians, and destroy civilian infrastructure, raising concerns regarding the protection of civilian.” That about 71 civilians have been killed, 14 were women and 9 children since the ceasefire came into effect on 27/11/2024 and 92,000 civilians are still displaced, according to OHCHR. The UN Human Rights Office urged that an investigations should be done concerning all allegations of violations. Each and every military action where civilians are killed must be investigated also. The UN's rights office raised concern about recent Israeli ...

Human Rights Defender Rita Karasartova Detained: Kyrgyzstan News: 15/4/2025 Marie Struthers, Amnesty International’s Directorfor Eastern Europe and Central Asia said:   “The Rita Karasartova detention is a troubling development in Kyrgyzstan’s deepening crackdown on civic space. It appears linked primarily to her public engagement with a politically sensitive case.”   She added that the authorities of Kyrgyzstani must urgently give a reason for the detention and ensure that her rights are fully respected and she has access to adequate healthcare. That if the detention is as result of her exercising her right to freedom of expression, then she must be released immediately and unconditionally.   A search was done in her home and thereafter she was arrested, this happened immediately after she shared a post on her Facebook page about a letter concerning the exiled Kyrgyzstani activist Tilekmat Kurenov, who has allegedly gone missing not long ago in the United Arab Emirates. ...

  Human rights lawyers decry ban on Kano Sallah Durbar The National Forum of Kano Indigene Lawyers has condemned the recent ban on Sallah Durbar festivities across the four Kano Emirates, arguing that it violates cultural and human rights protected under both national and international law. The lawyers argued that the ban ignored the cultural significance of Durbar celebrations, which involve horse-riding processions and royal displays recognized under Nigerian law and international human rights conventions such as the African Charter and the ICCPR. After submitting an open letter to the Commissioner of Police for the Kano State Command, the leader of the group, Barr. Usman Imam Tudun Wazirchi, expressed appreciation for the police’s efforts in maintaining relative peace during the Sallah period. However, they criticized the decision to prohibit Durbar celebrations, calling it “a denial of cultural rights and historical expression of identity. Usman Esq. who signed the letter on be...

  UK sanctions Georgian officials over human rights abuse Britain on Thursday the 10th April, 2025 sanctioned four Georgian officials, including the country's first Deputy Minister of Internal Affairs, Shalva Bedoidze, accusing them of allowing serious human rights violations. Protests in Georgia have been ongoing since last year November, when the ruling Georgian Dream party said it was suspending European Union accession talks until 2028. The British government said Bedoidze had engaged in actions amounting to an infringement of individuals' rights to be free from cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment. "Specifically, during the protests that occurred following the announcement of the suspension of EU accession talks, the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Georgia oversaw the police force's disproportionate use of violence against protesters," it said. Georgia has failed to properly investigate those responsible for the serious violence. All four Georg...

  Nigerian Convicted of Double Murder Wins Human Rights Case in the UK A Nigerian national, Mr. Obina Christopher Ezeoke, who is currently serving a life sentence for the brutal murders of a mother and her sleeping nephew in North London, has won a human rights case at the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR). Mr. Ezeoke, 32 was eventually convicted following an unprecedented five trials for the 2016 killings of psychology student Bervil Kalikaka-Ekofo, aged 21 and his 53-year-old aunt Mrs. Annie Ekofo at their residence in East Finchley. He received a life sentence with a minimum term of 40 years. However, the ECHR ruled that the five-year delay in bringing his case to conclusion constituted a breach of Article 6 of the European Convention on Human Rights, which guarantees the right to a fair and public hearing within a reasonable time. According to The Telegraph report published on Monday, the protracted delay was attributed to a series of unfortunate events, including the illne...

  Climate Crisis: A Human Rights Emergency – UN Resident Coordinator The United Nations Resident Coordinator in Nigeria, Mr. Mohammed Malik Fall, has described the climate crisis in Africa as not merely an environmental issue but a pressing human rights emergency. Mr. Fall made this assertion during the Regional African Human Rights Academic Conference which was held in Abuja. He then emphasized that the rising global temperatures, extreme weather events, and ongoing environmental degradation are causing severe repercussions—particularly on vulnerable populations across the African continent. He further noted that climate change is disproportionately affecting communities already struggling with socio-economic hardships, thereby exacerbating human rights concerns within those regions. Consequently, he urged that a swift and decisive action is needed to address climate-related challenges, advocating for policies that prioritise justice and equity for those most affected. In his welc...