The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) on Tuesday said that it recorded the highest number of abductions in the month of November.
The commission’s executive secretary, Tony Ojukwu (SAN), revealed this in his speech at the presentation of the November edition of the dashboard in Abuja.
”The commission received 422,942 complaints, and behind each one is a real person, a real family, a real story. These aren’t just numbers on paper. They are cries for help.
”In November alone, we recorded over 800 abductions. Think about that for a moment. That’s hundreds of people—mothers, fathers, and children—taken away,” he said.
He lamented that among them were more than 55 farmers, kidnapped right from their farms.
Mr Ojukwu noted that some were travellers dragged off highways, students taken from their classrooms, and worshippers abducted during prayers.
”The month of November was particularly sobering, with the most cases of abductions since Chibok. The kidnappings of schoolchildren in Maga and Papiri in Kebbi and Niger States, respectively, call for national retrospection and action,” he stated.
Mr Ojukwu lamented the insecurity that has gripped many communities, which is worsening.
”This is not the Nigeria we want to leave for the next generation. When we look at all these violations together, a painful pattern becomes clear:
Impunity is growing. Too many people commit crimes believing nothing will happen to them,” he said.
Mr Ojukwu expressed worry over what he called “shrinking civic space,” women and children bearing the brunt of violence, and communities living in fear, day after day.
He said these are not isolated incidents; they are signs of deeper problems that require courage, honesty, and collective action to solve.
”The commission is doing everything within its mandate to document these violations, engage with security agencies, and push for accountability. But we cannot do it alone.
”We need government at all levels, traditional rulers, religious leaders, civil society, and everyday Nigerians to stand together and say, ‘Enough is enough,’” he said.
Presenting the dashboard, senior human rights adviser to the commission, Hiliary Ogbonna, lamented that they received 815 kidnappings, which amounted to an increase of 700 per cent.
He added 217 killings, amounting to a reduction of 15 per cent.
Mr Ogbonna said the commission, in November, completed 6,435 investigations and visited police stations, corrections, and detention facilities 87 times.
(NAN)