The Niger State Coordinator of the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), Dr Nuhu Mohammed, has revealed that the commission received no fewer than 150 cases of human rights violations including rape last year.
Dr Mohammed made this known during the commemoration of the 2023 International Human Rights Day and 16 Days Activism Against Sexual and Gender-Based Violence held in Minna, the state capital.
He said while 25 rape complaints were reported at the commission, about 1,700 were recorded by the Heartland Alliance while 50 cases were recorded by the Rayuwa Sexual Assault and Referral Centre in the state.
He said the commission was working in partnership with other organizations in the fight against rape and other violations of human rights in the state.
Speaking on the theme, “Consolidating and Sustaining Human Rights Culture into the Future”, Dr. Nuhu Mohammed said men were also being violently abused by their wives and encouraged them to always come forward to seek intervention instead of keeping the matter to themselves.
In his remarks, the Niger State Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Barrister Naairu Mu’azu, called on the media and civil society organisations to always protect the identity of rape victims while discharging their duties as partners in the fight against sexual and Gender-Based Violence.
