Human and Community Rights Centre (HCRC) Blog

  The police in Enugu State have detained three masqueraders in the Nsukka area of the state for allegedly assaulting residents. Daniel Ndukwe, the state police spokesperson, said in a statement in Enugu on Tuesday that police operatives arrested the suspects on 23 June, with the assistance of members of the community. The suspects’ arrest was linked to the alleged physical assault of residents by the ‘Oriokpa’ Masquerade group on 22 June, as seen in a viral video. "The suspects, along with others still at large, took advantage of the ‘Oriokpa’ Masquerade celebration to assault several innocent members of the public, inflicting bodily injuries on them. The masqueraders initially resisted police arrest and fled the scene. However, with the assistance of law-abiding community members, the three suspects were later identified and apprehended,” he said. Mr Ndukwe, a superintendent of police, said that the Commissioner of Police in Enugu, Mamman Giwa, has ordered an investigation into ...

  The Gombe State chapter of the Take It Back Movement has condemned the arrest of a lecturer at the Federal College of Horticulture, Dadin Kowa, identified as Ahmad, calling for his immediate and unconditional release. In a statement signed on Monday by the state coordinator, Thomas Umar, the group described the arrest as unlawful and a direct attack on academic freedom and freedom of expression. It was reported that Ahmad was arrested in Bauchi State over comments he allegedly made criticising the son of the Bauchi State Governor. TIB expressed deep concern that the lecturer’s arrest reflects a growing intolerance for dissent and a disregard for the constitutional rights of citizens, particularly those within academic institutions. The movement said such actions undermine democracy and threaten the independence of intellectual discourse.   “Take-It-Back demands immediate release, a thorough investigation into the circumstances of his arrest, and stronger safeguards to protec...

  Human rights lawyer, Femi Falana (SAN), has criticised the Federal and Benue State Governments for consistently failing to prosecute suspects arrested in connection with violent attacks in Benue State. In a statement issued under the platform of the Alliance on Surviving COVID-19 and Beyond (ASCAB), which he chairs, Falana, on Sunday, lamented that although hundreds of suspects have been arrested over the years for crimes ranging from illegal possession of firearms to mass killings and kidnapping, most of them are never charged. His reaction follows President Bola Tinubu’s recent visit to Benue, during which he directed the Nigeria Police Force to arrest and prosecute all those involved in the latest wave of violence in the state. However, Falana described the president’s order as potentially symbolic, pointing out that previous arrests had not led to convictions or justice for victims. Falana also berated the Chief of Defence Staff, General Christopher Musa, for alleging that re...

  The Nigerian Bar Association, Gwagwalada Branch, has condemned in the strongest terms the brutal assault and unlawful detention of its member, Mr. Ajiki John Boluwaji, by a group of assailants allegedly acting on the instructions of Mr. Williams Raymond of Suite B18–B19, 2nd Floor, Iyemi Plaza, Gudu Junction, Abuja. The incident occurred on Tuesday, June 17, 2025, between 12:00 pm and 3:00 pm at the Gudu Market Junction in the Abuja Municipal Area Council. According to the NBA’s account, Mr. Boluwaji had gone to serve a client’s demand letter when he was confronted, manhandled, and forcibly detained by the assailants. the Branch Secretary, John Oluwasina Adewakun Esq., recounted in the public notice that “The attackers seized Mr. Boluwaji’s phone and denied him any opportunity to call for help, He was only rescued when police officers on patrol intervened and escorted him to safety.” The Chairman of the NBA Gwagwalada Branch, Owhor Clever Esq. reacting to the attack, decried the ...

  The African Action Congress (ACC) has expressed concerns over  a 20-year-old deaf girl named Margret Joshua, who was brutally assaulted in Tula Baule Yakku, Kaltungo Local Government Area of Gombe State, on 27th May, 2025. According to AAC, Margret was attacked while washing clothes by the riverside when Abubakar Lamido, the alleged assailant, attempted to rape her. Upon resistance, Lamido reportedly beat her severely, inflicting internal injuries that required emergency surgery. Comrade Bobo Benson-Bagwiba, the chairman of the AAC, lamented the situation when he stated that “This is not only a tragic case of gender-based violence, but also a stark reminder of the vulnerability of persons living with disabilities in rural Nigeria. Comr. Benson further stated that “Margret’s ordeal is unacceptable, and justice must be swift, transparent, and uncompromising.” Margret’s family reported the case to the Tula Division of the Nigeria Police Force. Although Lamido was brought in for...

  A group in Bayelsa State known as, Southern Ijaw Unity Forum, has raised serious concerns over what it described as the increasing wave of human rights violations being committed by pipeline surveillance operatives in Southern Ijaw Local Government Area of Bayelsa State. In a statement issued on Monday by its Chairman, Comrade Timothy Amadiowei, the group called on the Bayelsa State Government to urgently intervene before more innocent lives are endangered. According to the forum, the current situation has reached an alarming level where individuals can be injured or killed over mere suspicion of illegal oil bunkering, often without any investigation or right to fair hearing. Amadiowei further decried the proliferation of arms in the area, warning that sophisticated weapons are now in the hands of criminal elements and mentally unfit individuals parading as pipeline security personnel. “In the last one year, Southern Ijaw has seen a disturbing rise in violent attacks, many of the...

  Stakeholders in the South-south region of Nigeria have stated that the country’s Child Rights Law is yet to yield significant results, urging relevant authorities to collaborate more effectively to safeguard the future generations. The stakeholders in Cross River, Akwa Ibom, and Rivers States reacted to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) survey on the extent of the implementation of the Child Rights Act and Labour laws. In Cross River, James Ibor, the principal counsel of Basic Rights Council Initiative, described the implementation of the Child Rights Law as poor and slow. He explained that the state domesticated the Act in 2009 and amended it in 2023 into the Cross River Child Rights Law 2023, which explicitly criminalised branding children as witches and stipulated punishment for the offender. However, Mr Ibor said that with the increased awareness of the law provisions, crime reporting has increased, and the steps taken by the police have also improved, but this has caused a lo...

  Nigeria’s First Lady, Sen. Oluremi Tinubu, has reaffirmed her commitment to advocating for the rights and well-being of persons living with albinism across the country. The First Lady made this known in a statement issued on Friday in Abuja, expressing solidarity with Nigeria’s albino community as they join the global observance of the day. The 2025 theme is: “Demanding Our Rights: Protect Our Skin, Preserve Our Lives.” Sen. Tinubu described the theme as a powerful call to action, emphasising that persons with albinism deserved not only equal rights but also dignity, safety, and access to quality healthcare. The first lady stated that “I reaffirm my commitment to advocating for inclusive policies and public education that protect the rights of persons with albinism. “We must build a society where every Nigerian, regardless of skin condition, can thrive with pride and dignity,” she added. Nigeria’s albino community recently launched a national campaign aimed at ending discriminati...

  A growing number of Nigerians on social media are demanding that the Federal Government declare a state of emergency in Benue State following the killing of a reported number of over 200 people in a two-day rampage by suspected herders. Many users are comparing the silence over the Benue massacre to the suspension of the Rivers State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara, and the declaration of a state of emergency in March 2025. Nigerians have described the Rivers situation as a heavy-handed response to a political crisis that has claimed no lives. Despite the scale of the killings, President Bola Tinubu and the Presidency have yet to officially address the incident as of Monday morning, sparking widespread anger online. Referencing the recent political dispute in Rivers, Human rights activist Rinu Oduala tweeted with the handle, @SavvyRinu, she said, “Zero deaths in Rivers state – State of emergency. 200+ Nigerians brutally killed in Benue and other states – No state of emergency. Tinubu...

An Ekiti State Chief Magistrate Court, Ado Ekiti District, on Tuesday the 9th day of June, 2025 sentenced a 33-year-old woman, Moradeke Adeoti, to three years imprisonment for violating the Ekiti State Government’s directive on child hawking and abuse. Adeoti was arraigned on November 29, 2024, on a one-count charge bordering on unlawfully engaging an 11-year-old girl, Oyindamola Adeoti, in hawking of goods and child abuse. The charge read, “That the defendant on November 22, 2024, at Ado Ekiti, did unlawfully engage an 11-year-old girl in hawking of goods in the street/highway, contrary to and punishable under Section 30(2) of the Child’s Right Law of Ekiti State 2019.” In her testimony before the court, the defendant’s landlady, Bosede Oso, stated that “Moradeke has been treating the little girl (her cousin) who was living with her, like a slave, while her children would be in school. The victim (girl) would be hawking pepper, palm wine and other things on the street and highway, esp...

  A human rights organisation under the aegis of the End Sharia Now Campaign has recommended the urgent removal of all Islamic references from 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria to reflect the nation’s secularity. The organisation said since Nigeria is a secular state, the country cannot accept a constitution that gives legal recognition to any religion—Christianity, Islam, or otherwise. The Convener of End Sharia Now Campaign, Benson Sunday, in a statement titled, “Nigeria Is A Secular State — End Sharia In Nigerian Constitution Now!” believes that the constitutional entrenchment of Islamic legal systems in Sections of the document contradicts Section 10, which, he said, expressly prohibits the adoption of any religion as state religion. Mr. Benson also noted that Section 10 also makes a clear declaration: The Government of the Federation or of a State shall not adopt any religion as State Religion. Despite the constitutional promise of religious neutrality, our ...

  THE HIDDEN COST OF DELAY: UNDERSTANDING PRE-TRIAL DETENTION AND THE RIGHT TO FAIR HEARING IN NIGERIA Introduction In any just society, the principle of “innocent until proven guilty” is sacrosanct. It underpins the right to a fair hearing, a cornerstone of the Nigerian Constitution (Section 36 of the 1999 Constitution, as amended) and international human rights law. Yet in practice, thousands of Nigerians are held behind bars for years without trial, victims of a criminal justice system strained by inefficiencies, underfunding, and bureaucratic delays. The recent case of Mr. John Gift Tobia, who was detained for over eight years without ever standing trial, highlights the grave human rights violations and systemic failures within the system. His story, and that of many others raises critical questions: How can a nation claim to uphold justice while so many are unjustly denied it? A Case That Exposes a Systemic Problem Mr. John Gift Tobia was arrested and remanded on 6 March 2017 ...

  Amnesty International Condemns Government’s Neglect of Female Boko Haram Survivors Amnesty International has issued a stern rebuke to the Nigerian government, accusing it of failing to support young women and girls who have escaped captivity at the hands of Boko Haram in the North-East region. In a statement released on Tuesday, the Country Director of Amnesty International Nigeria, Isa Sanusi, described the government’s continued inaction as unacceptable. He lamented the lack of effective reintegration services, noting that many of the survivors remain unable to support themselves or their families. “In June 2024, Amnesty International published ‘Help Us Build Our Lives’: Girl Survivors of Boko Haram and Military Abuses in North-East Nigeria, which detailed the pressing need for psychosocial and economic support for these girls and young women as they attempt to heal and reintegrate into society,” Sanusi said. “One year on, it is utterly deplorable that the Nigerian authorities ...

  NBA Human Rights Institute Demands Justice for Abused 14-Year-Old IDP Girl, Bashariya The Nigerian Bar Association Human Rights Institute (NBA-HRI) has unequivocally condemned the appalling abuse of Miss Bashariya, a 14-year-old internally displaced girl from Zamfara State, who was reportedly subjected to physical and psychological torture while employed as a domestic servant in Abuja. According to widely circulated reports and distressing video evidence, Bashariya—whose family fled from violent banditry and now resides in an IDP camp near Gwiwa Eka—was employed by Mrs. Fauziya, the wife of Abubakar Zaki Esq., a sitting judge in Sokoto State. Upon arrival in Abuja, the young girl was allegedly subjected to starvation, severe beatings, and acts of torture—including being burned with fire—constituting grave violations of her fundamental human rights and clear acts of criminality. Even more alarming, the girl’s parents were reportedly threatened and warned against pursuing justice, ...

  Veteran Nollywood actress, Kate Henshaw, has delivered a scathing critique of the status and treatment of women in Nigeria, calling out societal, religious, and legal systems that she said continued to discriminate against women. In an interview on Arise News Channel, Kate Henshaw lamented what she described as the pervasive dehumanisation of Nigerian women, accusing men and institutions of twisting the Biblical message of equality between man and woman into one of hierarchy and oppression. “God created man and woman. He created the man first, no doubt,” Henshaw said. “Even pastors and churches are at fault for this. He (God) brought the woman from the side, not from the head to be over the man, or from under to be beneath him, but beside, to reign beside him, to be fruitful, multiply and bring up children and grow together.” However, she argued that this ideal of partnership has been warped. “Nigerian men see women as less than human,” she said.  The award-winning actress h...

  The National Human Rights Commission has documented no fewer than 3,012 incidents of kidnapping and 3,584 killings in Nigeria between January 2024 and April 2025. According to the NHRC dashboard, Kaduna, Benue, Katsina, Plateau, and Borno states were the top five states with the highest number of killings. In June 2024, mob action and jungle justice became issues of focus for the commission which recorded cases that included a mob killing over blasphemy in Bauchi, a killing over infidelity in Ondo, and the stabbing of a wife’s lover in Ogun. The NHRC also reported a rise in extrajudicial killings, citing incidents such as police killings in Yauri, Kebbi State, and military killings in Ilorin, Abuja (FCT), and Jos. Furthermore, the commission documented four bandit or terrorist attacks across Katsina State, which resulted in 87 killings and 56 abductions. Between July and August 2024, the NHRC highlighted freedom of association, peaceful assembly, flooding, and displacement as key...

  “The Era of Unlawful Arrests Must End” — Falana SAN Calls on Judiciary to Enforce Mandatory Detention Centre Inspections Prominent human rights advocate and Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), Mr. Femi Falana, has issued a fervent appeal to the Nigerian judiciary, urging it to uphold and enforce the statutory requirements of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act (ACJA), 2015—particularly Section 34, which mandates monthly inspections of police detention facilities by magistrates and judges. Delivering the keynote address at the inaugural Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) Western Zone Human Rights Summit, held in Ibadan, Oyo State, Mr. Falana spoke on the theme “Visitation of Magistrates to Detention Facilities.” He decried the pervasive non-compliance with this critical legal obligation by judicial officers, law enforcement agencies, and even the NBA itself. Mr. Falana noted that, despite the clear provisions of Section 34 requiring monthly visits to police stations and other non...

  Man Regains Freedom After Eight Years of Pre-Trial Detention in Port Harcourt In a poignant reminder of systemic failings in Nigeria’s criminal justice system, a man detained for over eight years without trial has finally regained his freedom. Mr. John Gift Tobia was arrested and remanded on 6th March 2017, while his case remained perpetually “awaiting trial.” During this time, no formal hearing was held. He remained incarcerated for eight years, four months, and ten days—without ever being afforded his day in court. Justice, however, finally prevailed when a High Court in Rivers State unconditionally ordered his release in June 2025. Upon his discharge, Mr. Tobia was seen expressing deep gratitude to Barrister Hope Azeru-Oziri, whose legal intervention ultimately secured his freedom. Mr. Tobia also shared hopeful remarks about rebuilding his life after years of unjust incarceration.                            ...

  Soaring Death Toll And Escalating Humanitarian Crisis Amid Relentless Armed Attacks In Northern Nigeria Amnesty International has raised alarm over the Nigerian government’s failure to protect citizens from a relentless wave of violence carried out by armed groups and bandits, warning of a growing humanitarian crisis in the northern regions According to a new investigation released by the organization, no fewer than 10,217 individuals have been killed in violent attacks across several states including Benue, Edo, Katsina, Kebbi, Plateau, Sokoto, and Zamfara—since the beginning of President Bola Tinubu’s administration. Benue State alone has recorded a staggering 6,896 deaths, followed by Plateau with 2,630 fatalities. “Today marks exactly two years since President Bola Tinubu assumed office, promising to bolster national security. Unfortunately, the situation has deteriorated significantly,” said Isa Sanusi, Director of Amnesty International Nigeria. “The government has failed t...

  Courts Summon Senate President Akpabio and Deputy Chief Whip Nwaebonyi Over Allegations of Sexual Harassment and Defamation by Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan Two separate High Courts of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja, have issued summons to the President of the Senate, Senator Godswill Akpabio, and the Deputy Chief Whip of the Senate, Senator Onyekachi Nwaebonyi, following serious allegations brought by Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan. The claims include sexual harassment, defamation of character, and infringement of fundamental human rights. Justice Abubakar Idris Kutigi, presiding over one of the courts, granted Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan leave to serve court documents on Senator Akpabio both personally and in his official capacity as Senate President. The matter, filed under Suit No. FCT/HC/CV/754/2025, also directed that Akpabio’s senior legislative aide, Mr Mfon Patrick, as well as the Clerk of the National Assembly, be duly served. The case was adjourned to 9 June...

HUMAN RIGHTS: THE DISCRIMINATION AGAINST WOMEN IN THE WORKPLACE  Introduction It is the express provision of Article 1 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights that, all human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. The rights of Women are fundamental human rights that are rightly provided by the United Nations for each and every human being in the universe. These rights includes among others: the right to live free from violence; slavery; discrimination; to be educated; the right to own property; the right to participate in politics; right to health; dignity and to earn fair and equal wage. The above are the rights Women are entitled to. But are these rights mentioned enjoyed by women freely?. These rights are yet to be enjoyed by women and girls around the world simply because of their gender. The Federal Government of Nigeria in the year 2006, adopted a policy called National Gender Policy. The essence of the policy was for the government to be committed in a...

  UNDERSTANDING THE RIGHT OF A CHILD AGAINST SEXUAL EXPLOITATION AND ABUSE IN NIGERIA INTRODUCTION In the discourse on criminal liabilities for sexual crimes in Nigeria, apart from rape, much attention is usually not given to other sexual crimes such as sexual assault, sexual abuse, groping, child sexual abuse, defilement, sodomy, adultery, and sexual domestic violence, despite being statutorily provided for under various legislation. Sexual exploitation and abuse remain some of the most severe violations of human dignity, which in most cases affects children and vulnerable people. In Nigeria, the right to be protected from such acts is not only a moral imperative but a constitutionally and internationally recognized legal right. There are legal instruments and institutions which are primarily aimed at protecting the human right from sexual exploitation and abuse. The relevant legislations in Nigeria includes but not limited to the Criminal Code Act, Penal Code Act, Child Rights Ac...