CAPPA Decries Worsening Human-Rights Situation in Nigeria

Corporate Accountability and Public Participation Africa (CAPPA) has expressed concern over what it described as the deteriorating state of human-rights protection in Nigeria, calling on the government to end impunity, strengthen institutions and prioritise citizens’ welfare.

In a statement marking International Human Rights Day 2025, the organisation said widespread insecurity, abuses by law-enforcement agencies, socio-economic hardship and governance failures continue to undermine the dignity and safety of Nigerians.

CAPPA cited recent data to highlight the scale of violations, noting that 570 killings and 278 kidnappings were recorded across the country in April, while the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) received 275,256 complaints of rights abuses in May alone.

The group said millions of Nigerians are facing overlapping crises, with civil and political rights under pressure, social and economic rights declining, and insecurity deepening. 

It added that many of the violations, including attacks on women and girls, mass abductions, and assaults on schools and communities, have gone unchecked.

According to the organisation, peaceful protesters still face the risk of lethal force and arbitrary arrests, with no accountability for at least 24 unarmed citizens killed during the 2024 #EndBadGovernance demonstrations. 

It also referenced a Media Rights Agenda (MRA) report indicating that 69 journalists were attacked in 2025, 74 percent of them by state actors.

CAPPA said Nigerians continue to grapple with lack of basic necessities such as safe water, healthcare, adequate housing and secure livelihoods, stressing that the resulting desperation amounts to a human-rights emergency rather than solely an economic challenge.

It urged the Federal Government and all duty-bearers to take decisive steps to reverse what it described as a dangerous trajectory of rights violations and institutional failures. 

The group also called for reforms that safeguard civic freedoms, improve oversight of security agencies and strengthen the capacity of human-rights institutions.

CAPPA said this year’s Human Rights Day should prompt the country to reflect on how far it has drifted from the guarantees it owes citizens, warning that Nigeria cannot continue on a path where violence is normalised and institutions fail without consequence.