The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), on Friday, decried the rising cases of human rights violations in the country, saying it receives over 2million complaints every year.

The Executive Secretary of the Commission, Dr. Tony Ojukwu (SAN), who made the disclosure during a media parley in Abuja, said the establishment expends a minimum sum of N10million to investigate some of the complaints.

Ojukwu lamented that paucity of funds have continued to hamper the investigative capacity of the Commission, which he said receives an aggregate sum of N4.5billion as its annual allocation.

“It is from this paltry allocation that we pay salaries and maintain our offices across the country.

“We are in the process of opening 10 new offices, aside from the ones we have in Katsina, Adamawa, Kebbi, Abuja, Ekiti, Lagos, Anambra, Imo and Rivers.

“Our rent in Lagos alone is about N5m per annum. But it is very important that we should operate from our own buildings because we are in a political regime.

“You can imagine a situation where the Commission, in the discharge of its mandate, criticises maybe a political party of the landlord of the building it rented.

“It is very important for us to have our own independent structures so that we will not be subject to all these vagaries of politics,” the NHRC’s boss stated.

He commended the media for playing pivotal roles in the promotion and protection of human rights in the country.

“I want to begin by expressing my profound appreciation for the invaluable work that you, the media, do in amplifying human rights issues and giving voice to those who often go unheard.

“Your commitment to shining a light on human rights violations, promoting justice, and advocating for a fair and equitable society is commendable,” Ojukwu, SAN, added.

Meanwhile, in his remarks, the Chairman of the Nigeria Union of Journalists, NUJ, FCT Correspondents Chapel, Comrade Jide Oyekunle, stressed that issue of human rights violations in the country “has become a hydra-headed monster which we must all join hands to kill before we all become the next victim.”

He said: “The majority of cases of human rights violations are being carried out by the Nigerian police force. Yes it is a statement of fact.

“Despite the progress made in the nation’s democracy, the country continues to suffer human rights violations in the hands of our security agencies without any political will by our leaders to hold perpetrators accountable.

“There is a need to strengthen

accountability mechanisms for human rights violations in the country in the interest of justice.

“As we speak here today those who threatened to wipe out a particular ethnic group in Lagos State during the 2023 general elections are still walking freely because they seem to be above the law while their victims are still bedevilled with psychological wounds and trauma.

“We all owe society the responsibility to protect the vulnerable group particularly the women and children by using our various news platforms and give them the voice to seek redress in a court of law whenever their rights are being trampled upon,” Oyekunle added. (Vanguard)

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