The National Human Rights Commission, NHRC, has expressed concern after available data indicated that deaths from road accidents surpassed killings by gunmen across Nigeria in September 2024.
Data from the September 2024 Human Rights Dashboard, unveiled by the NHRC on Tuesday, October 8, 2024, in Abuja, disclosed that road accidents claimed 191 lives in September 2024, whole 141 persons died in attacks by gunmen, including bandits, terrorists, kidnappers and other criminals, during the month.
In addition to the 191 persons that died in road accidents in September, 69 others sustained varying degrees of injuries.
Executive Secretary of the NHRC, Dr Tony Ojukwu, in an address at the unveiling of the September 2024 Human Rights Dashboard, noted that loss of lives in road accidents undermines the enjoyment of human rights for many families.
“A major issue we are highlighting today is the tragic loss of lives due to road accidents, which severely undermines the enjoyment of human rights for many families.
“According to the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) and the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), approximately 1,471 individuals have been killed from road crashes in the first quarter of 2024 alone.
“It is crucial for the government and the Federal Road Safety Corps, to take immediate and sustainable measures to address this crisis and ensure the safety and welfare of all motorists in Nigeria,” Ojukwu said.
The Human Rights Dashboard indicated that 305,300 complaints of human rights violations were reported to the NHRC in September 2024.
The Commission expressed concern that the number of complaints of rights violations in the country has continued to witness an astronomical rise.
An analysis of the September 2024 human rights dashboard showed that the North-West led in number of human rights violation cases, followed by the North-Central.
Violation of freedom of religion was the highest number of complaints received in the month, according to the dashboard.
“Freedom of religion was a major issue in September because of some states that placed restrictions on the enjoyment of this right by some state governments,” the NHRC noted, adding that “Freedom of religion has become a challenged human right in Nigeria.”
Violation of the right to human dignity by law enforcement agents, and denial of access to justice/violation of the rule of law, also recorded several complaints in September 2024.
The month also witnessed a rise in complaints of sexual and gender based violence, including domestic violence, sexual violence and rape.
There was also a rise in complaints of violation of child rights, with particular increases in cases of defilement and child abandonment.
Amid the rise in cases of child abandonment, the NHRC noted that many children are bearing the brunt of the high level of economic hardship in the country.
Kaduna, Benue, Katsina, Plateau and Sokoto recorded the highest number of killings in September 2024.
One hundred and forty-one killings and 113 kidnapping incidents were recorded in September 2024, a further analysis of the dashboard revealed.
NHRC Executive Secretary, Ojukwu, highlighted the importance of the dashboard in promoting accountability, transparency, and advocacy for human rights in the country.
“I urge the media to continue their vital work in amplifying the voices of those who are vulnerable and marginalized,” he added.
In the same vein, Ojukwu condemned the use of excessive force on protesters during the recent #EndBadGovernance and #FearlessInOctober protests.
He described the action of the security agents as a ‘serious’ violation of the fundamental rights of Nigerians.
“On Nigeria’s Independence Day, we witnessed the #FearlessInOctober protests, reflecting the masses’ ongoing call for accountability and good governance, following the earlier #EndBadGovernance protests.
“We are deeply concerned about the excessive use of force and tear gas by the Nigeria Police Force on protesters in Abuja. Such actions represent a serious violation of the fundamental rights of Nigerian citizens.”