The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) condemned the invasion of the headquarters of the Ikeja Electricity Distribution Company by personnel from the Nigerian Air Force at the Sam Ethnan Air Force Base in Ikeja, Lagos State, on Friday.
Ojukwu, who made the condemnation while speaking during the presentation of the March edition of the human rights situation dashboard in Abuja, stated that the brutal assault on workers violated basic rights to safety, dignity, and freedom from abuse. He added, “It is especially shocking that security forces harmed those they should protect. We are seeing a pattern of abuse of authority by those in uniform, which should be condemned in the strongest terms. Such actions undermine public trust and cannot be tolerated.”
He emphasized that the NHRC demands immediate accountability and justice for the victims, stressing that military, security, and law enforcement agencies must discharge their duties within the confines of the law and with utmost respect for human dignity.
Similarly, Ojukwu expressed grave concern over the Supreme Court’s recent death sentence given to Sunday Jackson for killing a Fulani herdsman in an alleged act of self-defense. He described the death sentence as an assault on human rights in Nigeria, citing Section 33 of the Constitution, which guarantees the right to life and explicitly recognizes self-defense as a legitimate shield against unlawful violence. “To sentence Sunday Jackson to death for protecting his own life sets a dangerous precedent,” he said. “We call on Governor Ahmadu Umaru Fintiri to exercise his constitutional power of clemency under Section 212 of the Constitution and spare Jackson’s life. Justice must never equate to punishment for the defenseless.”
ALSO READ: Kogi CJ tasks ex-convicts to shun crime
The NHRC boss announced that the Commission received a total of 246,200 complaints in March, marking an increase from February. He noted that these numbers reflect ongoing challenges and protection gaps in securing human rights for all Nigerians, particularly violations involving state actors and freedom from discrimination.
According to Ojukwu, March also witnessed a troubling rise in terrorist groups attacking vulnerable communities across Nigeria. He emphasized that these assaults not only constitute security breaches but also fundamental violations of basic human rights such as the right to life, personal security, and living free from fear.
Presenting the dashboard, the Senior Human Rights Adviser to the NHRC, Mr. Hillary Ogbonna, lamented a marginal 20% increase in complaints recorded compared to February 2025. He highlighted that the Commission initiated and completed a total of 12,545 investigations of complaints, visited 230 correctional centers and places of detention, issued 465 summons and letters to the Nigerian Police, and visited 27 military formations this year.
Ogbonna further reported that the Commission documented 88 kidnappings, 221 killings, 1,186 cases of child abandonment, and 39 killings of security and law enforcement agents in March alone.
The event also featured the signing of an Advisory Opinion on the Right to Freedom of Expression in Nigeria, issued pursuant to Section 5 (l)(m)(o) of the National Human Rights Commission Act (as amended) of 2010 by the Executive Secretary of the Commission.
Ojukwu explained that the Advisory aims to serve as a guideline to law enforcement, the judiciary, the media, civil society, and the general public on the importance of freedom of expression and the need to protect it in response to recent violations linked to the enforcement of Section 24 of the Cyber Crimes Act.
and then