Dashboard: NHRC Sounds Alarm Over Rising Sexual Assaults Against Minors, Mass Killings in Nigeria

By Toffa Momoh | Abuja

The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has raised a red flag over the alarming surge in sexual assaults against minors in Nigeria, particularly in Niger State where nine cases were recorded between January and March 2026.

The victims, some as young as three years old, were raped by adult men, with perpetrators ranging from teenagers to men in their fifties.

According to the NHRC Dashboard, a 19-year-old man raped two girls aged five and four years, while a 50-year-old man was arrested for sodomising a 12-year-old boy. The Commission recorded a total of 659,617 complaints during the quarter, representing a 5% increase compared to the same period in 2025.

The dashboard also highlights a surge in thematic complaints across the country, including allegations of abuses tied to law enforcement and human dignity, which rose sharply with over 61,000 complaints recorded in February alone. Freedom from discrimination saw a dramatic increase, while violations of the right to life surged to 552 in the same month.

Mass killings were documented across several states, with Kwara and Zamfara recording some of the deadliest incidents. In Kwara, over 160 people were killed in coordinated attacks, while Zamfara witnessed multiple assaults by armed groups that left scores dead. February was the bloodiest month, underscoring the escalation of violence nationwide.

Religious freedom was also under siege, with Kaduna reporting the abduction of 172 worshippers during church services, alongside targeted attacks on clerics from both Christian and Islamic communities.

NHRC Executive Secretary Dr. Tony Ojukwu emphasized that the Dashboard is anchored on two critical pillars: data from complaints received across the country and information generated through the Human Rights Observatory. He stressed that the findings align with the Commission’s 2026 Human Rights Outlook, which identified insecurity, discrimination, gender-based violence, and socio-economic vulnerabilities as key risks.

“The persistence of discrimination-related complaints, the rise in cases linked to law enforcement and human dignity, and the continued prevalence of insecurity-related killings and abductions all point to the urgency of translating policy commitments into concrete action,” Dr. Ojukwu said.