NHRC demands probe into deaths of 37 persons in custody

… records 338,810 human rights complaints in Sept

The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has called for a thorough, independent and transparent process in the investigation of the deaths of 37 persons in custody following operations against artisanal mining activities in Niger State to establish the circumstances surrounding the deaths and ensure accountability.

The Executive Secretary of the Commission, Dr Tony Ojukwu, SAN, who disclosed this on Wednesday in Abuja during the presentation of the September 2026 Human Rights Situation Dashboard, said the incident raised serious questions about the right to life, personal liberty, human dignity and freedom from torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment.

The Executive Secretary stressed that anyone held in custody remained entitled to the protection of the law, regardless of the allegations against them.

On the September dashboard, Ojukwu said the Commission recorded 338,810 complaints of human rights violations across Nigeria in the month of September 2026, representing an increase of 40,867 cases, or approximately 14 per cent, from the 297,943 complaints recorded in August.

While expressing concern over persistent killings, mass abductions, sexual and gender-based violence, and abuses against children in the country, Ojukwu said the rising number of complaints underscored the need for stronger institutional responses, effective investigations, remedies for victims, and preventive measures to address recurring violations.

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The NHRC boss stressed that the Commission’s priority was not merely to document complaints but to ensure that the information generated translated into meaningful action, justice for victims and improved protection of human rights.

Presenting the dashboard’s findings, the Senior Human Rights Adviser to the Commission, Dr Hillary Ogbona, said the Commission recorded a total of 210 kidnappings, 480 cases of child abandonment, 208 killings and nine killings of Armed Forces and Law enforcement agents in the month of September.

He said the North-Central geopolitical zone accounted for 42 per cent of the complaints recorded during the month, followed by the North-West and North-East.

Ogbona also highlighted the continued prevalence of domestic violence, rape, child abandonment, child trafficking and other forms of sexual and gender-based violence, warning that the figures represented people whose lives had been severely affected by violations.

Ogbona called for greater attention to the interconnected nature of women’s and children’s rights, explaining that the abandonment of women by their spouses often created additional challenges for the care and protection of their children.

On the Commission’s operational performance, Ogbona said the NHRC conducted 113 visits to police stations, correctional centres and other places of detention across the country in September, issued 62 summonses and invitations to police officers to respond to allegations against them and conducted six visits to military formations to promote human rights-based approaches to security operations.