The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has unveiled a distressing picture of Nigeria's protection crisis, revealing that children constitute a staggering majority of those forcibly displaced from their homes.
A Deepening Humanitarian Emergency
According to the Commission's October 2025 Human Rights Dashboard, children account for 82 per cent of the 9,290 Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) identified across 11 Nigerian states. The NHRC Executive Secretary, Dr. Tony Ojukwu, SAN, presented these findings in Abuja, describing the situation as a deepening emergency fueled by insecurity, climate shocks, and collapsing livelihoods.
Dr. Ojukwu, who was represented by the Director of Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, Mr. Harry Obe, highlighted that Yobe and Benue states are the epicentres of this crisis. Yobe recorded 2,047 IDPs, while Benue had 1,850. The displacement in these areas is primarily driven by herder attacks, insurgent raids, and the destruction of critical community infrastructure.
Widespread Rights Violations and Vulnerabilities
The displacement has disproportionately exposed children to severe risks, including hunger, violence, disrupted education, and health dangers. The dashboard documented a troubling 58 per cent surge in violations specifically targeting children, overshadowing the progress of a UNHCR-backed project that reached over 15,000 vulnerable people since early 2025.
Overall, the NHRC recorded more than 1,800 human rights violations during the reporting period. Key incidents included:
- 530 cases of denied access to food and shelter in Benue, Taraba, and Kano states.
- 278 restrictions on freedom of movement linked to insecurity in Yobe State.
- 195 incidents of gender-based violence (GBV).
- 324 barriers to education threatening children's futures in Kano and Taraba.
The report also shed light on other vulnerable groups, noting 215 asylum seekers facing registration challenges in Taraba and Cross River states, alongside 583 refugees. It further recorded 472 returnees, 81 per cent of whom are children struggling to reintegrate into still-insecure communities.
Interventions and Calls to Action
Despite the grim statistics, the Commission reported significant field interventions. NHRC teams resolved 372 cases, referred 1,157 others to relevant agencies, conducted 104 detention visits, and carried out 331 community outreaches that sensitised 6,551 people on GBV prevention and human rights reporting.
Dr. Ojukwu, who also serves as President of the Network of National Human Rights Institutions in West Africa (NNHRI-WA), lamented the operational challenges facing monitors, such as transport shortages and security risks. He nevertheless commended their resilience and UNHCR's support.
To stem the crisis, he made several urgent appeals to the government:
- Domesticate the Kampala Convention for IDP protection.
- Integrate NHRC data into national and state humanitarian response plans.
- Strengthen security for returnees and enhance inter-agency coordination.
He reaffirmed the Commission's commitment to data-driven strategies for Nigeria's estimated 6.7 million displaced persons. Dr. Benedict Agu, Head of Human Rights Monitoring, emphasised the harsh living conditions in IDP camps, citing poor nutrition and limited healthcare. He stressed that sustained monitoring and community engagement are critical to safeguarding the rights and dignity of displaced Nigerians, especially the children bearing the brunt of this ongoing crisis.
