The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has raised alarm over the growing cases of enforced disappearances, kidnappings, and abductions in Nigeria, described the trend as a grave assault on human dignity.
Executive Secretary of the Commission, Dr. Tony Ojukwu, made this known in a statement to mark the International Day of Victims of Enforced Disappearances. He lamented that the surge in such incidents has left countless families in anguish, with loved ones enduring prolonged psychological trauma and uncertainty.
Dr. Ojukwu linked the incessant wave of insecurity ranging from insurgency, banditry, herder-farmer clashes, separatist violence, and worsening poverty to the rise in missing persons across the country.
He further noted that enforced disappearances, particularly in the context of security operations, remain a major human rights concern, stressing that such violations not only undermine citizens’ rights but also erode public trust in the government’s ability to safeguard them.
Quoting international human rights instruments, including the International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance, the NHRC boss reminded the Nigerian government of its obligation to guarantee liberty, security, recognition before the law, and protection from torture and ill-treatment.
“The Commission urges government at all levels to adopt proactive measures to address the root causes of insecurity while strengthening accountability and justice mechanisms,” he said. He also called on security agencies to adhere strictly to international human rights standards in their operations and ensure that perpetrators of kidnappings, abductions, and enforced disappearances are brought to justice.
Dr. Ojukwu reaffirmed the Commission’s solidarity with families of missing persons, pledging continued advocacy to uphold the rights of victims. “They may be missing but definitely not forgotten,” he said.
He emphasized that only a comprehensive response tackling insurgency, banditry, communal violence, separatist agitations, and poverty can reduce the tragic phenomenon of missing persons and restore confidence in state institutions.
