Bandits kill 306 Nigerians in August – NHRC

By Jude Opara, Abuja

The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) on Tuesday said that no fewer than 306 Nigerians have been killed by bandits, kidnappers and other non state actors in the month of August.

Senior Human Rights Adviser to the Executive Secretary, Hilary Ogbonna dentified Katsina, Benue, Plateau, Zamfara and Sokoto as the top five states where extrajudicial killings occurred in the month of August.

Senior Human Rights Adviser to the Executive Secretary, Hillary Ogbonna revealed this in Abuja during the Monthly Dashboard Presentation on Human Rights Violations for August.

Ogbonna said that the North West zone topped the chat with the killing of 50 worshippers, another 12 killed in Malumfashi in Zamfara and many other players which resulted in the 306 killings and 450 abductions in the month of August alone.

He also wondered why despite the out cry that followed the killings in Yelwata where 41 people were massacred in one operation, there have been other reported incidents in the area ever since.

“The curious case of Benue is very intriguing because people are being killed almost on a daily basis. After the killing 41 persons, another eight were reportedly killed in other incidents the same area. In Yelwata Goma and Agatu, it’s the same ugly tale of unrestrained killings.

“Burning down and ransacking of churches in Benue state is rampant and with the killing of worshippers, time has come for government to take the protection of religious freedom more seriously.

“Elsewhere, like in the South East, we have the Unknown Gun men (UGM), Lakurawa, Boko Haram, Bandits in the North, Cultists and others. And there are also 368 cases of child abandonment.

“Complaints on violation of women’s rights. Gender based discrimination has 1,428 and denial of access to children is 2,430.

“However, within the period under review, the NHRC investigated and completed 2603 cases, visitation to correctional centres and places of detention was 85 times and summons and demand letters from the Police recorded 53 cases while visitation to military formations happened seven times”.

Earlier in his opening remarks, the Executive Secretary of the NHRC, Dr. Tony Ojukwu said the presentation should be a moment to reflect, recalibrate, and renew the commitment to a Nigeria where every heartbeat carries the promise of dignity.

Ojukwu further added that the statistics should call for a sober reflection because the numbers are records of Nigerians who have been suffering the ugly effects of banditry and terrorism.

He revealed that in August, the Commission stood as a beacon of hope for 365,224 voices who entrusted them with their stories of struggle for enjoyment of human rights.

Ojukwu also stated that NHRC with the support of their partners, United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) have also documented rising incidences of numbers of populations of returnees and refugees across their project sites.

He revealed that between the months of May and July, there were a total of 10,710 Returnees to communities, 5,191 refugees and 2,275 Asylum Seekers in the same period.