ABUJA (SUNDIATA POST)– The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has condemned the increasing rate of child abandonment, escalating violence of banditry, violation of rights to freedom from discrinination, sexual and gender-based violence as well as the suppression of civic space in Nigerians.
In his presentation, the facilitator of the Dashboard series, Mr Hillary Ogbonna said the astronomical incidence of child abandonment has been constant over the last twelve months; stating that the feelers from their state offices where child abandonment is rife is attributed to the current economic situation in the country.
However, he said that the NHRC is of the opinion that there can be no justification to abandoning a child and the therefore called on authorities to establish Social Welfare Mechanism that will recognize that children are at the heart of our future and also be able to protect these children, offer them temporal shelter, protection even while they are abandoned.
The Commission made the call on Tuesday at the presentation of the Commission’s December 2024 Human Rights Situation Dashboard and 2024 year overview held at NHRC Headquarters, Abuja.
He highlighted that Child abandonment is the foundation for the violation of multiple child rights. “When a child is abandoned, that child is exposed to violence, possibility of child marriage, possible withdrawal from school, will not have access to healthcare, will not have access to good nutrition. Abandonment should not just be seen as evil event of a father or a mother but rather a foundation for multiple human rights violations” he said.
He informed that for the month of December, the Commission recorded 355,726 complaints and for the first time, the South South recorded more human rights violations than the northern states. The high human rights violation he said, is attributed to christmas, informing that festivities related violations are usually high in the states where we celebrate Christmas.
In the same month of December 2024, the Commission recorded 1, 223 child abandonment cases and based on human right observatory, Zamfara state was a major state in focus; he said. Also in three incidents, Sokoto state where an airstrike by the Nigerian Armed Forces killed ten (10) civilians is a thing of concern to the Commission because it is becoming a patthern – from Kaduna to Nasarawa and now Sokoto.
The NHRC therefore called on the Nigerian Armed Forcres to not only hold individuals responsible for this to account, but also to fashion out even more effective ways of carrying out operations while civilians are protected. He reminded that the NHRC is the major facilitator and mover of the protection of the civilian policies which is now a draft adding that the Commission hopes that the Federal Executive Council would approve it with very quick fiat because it is such a policy instrument that is needed now more than ever, as the commission works with other stakeholders, including the office of the Athorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice.
Similarly in December, Nigeians lost their lives in three (3) incidents that happened on Oyo, Anambra and the FCT in a stampede which occured while they came for palliatives. The NHRC said it views very seriously the vulnerability of Nigerians first and foremost that would make such a number of people to go for such event.
The Commission also views very seriously, the absence of protective frameworks by especially the state governments and the FCT administration that would allow such a large gathering, allow children to attend such gathering without any form of orderliness, descretion or protection. The Commission hopes that this will not occur again because of the interest that have been shown by the President of the federation and assures that the NHRC as well, would continue to monitor the trials that have already begun. Above all, the Commission calls for compensation for those who lost their lives and those who were injured at those three incidents.
In September 2024, NHRC analysed the impact of road accidents on the lives of Nigerians and compared killings by Gunmen and deaths by road accidents. It observed that death by road accident was above killing by either state or non-state actors.
The Dashboard data reported that December was a herrondeous month as far as accident are concerned. Just like other months before it, but in just one scoop, we had 81 deaths by motor and boat accidents.; 55 deaths by car and 26 by boat.
Also, in terms of thematic complaints across board, Mr Ogbonna said the Commission recorded high amount of violation of the rights of freedom from discrimination. The right of freedom from discrimination is a unique right. It doesnt stand at its own. It has to be in terms of your enjoyment of a particular right, denial of that enjoyment will lead to violation of your right to freedom from discrimination, he said. “It could be enrolment in school, place of work or access to healthcare services. So violation of rights to freedom from discrinination is a multi-purpose and multi-dimensional human right violation”.
In November, the Commission recorded over 300 deaths by boat accident on the River Niger. Now we are seeing 26 deaths on the River Benue. What this goes to show is lack of regulation or ineffective regularion in that sector and the Commission would want to use this opportunity to call on relevant authorities who are regulators of our inland water ways to do effective policies and regulations that would guide against over-loading or the use of weak and poor boat to transport Nigerians.
So Dashboard for December 2024 has 100 kidnapping incidents, 220 killings and 7 killings of law enforcement personnels.
