Nigeria’s National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has secured the release of 12 detained youths, prevented the forced marriage of a 14-year-old girl and rescued children from child labour, according to its human rights dashboard for July and August 2026.
The commission disclosed the outcomes on Monday in Abuja during the presentation of its fourth bi-monthly human rights dashboard for 2026, which documented protection activities, human rights violations and challenges affecting forcibly displaced persons across seven project states.
The NHRC Executive Secretary, Tony Ojukwu, represented by the commission’s Director of Legal Services and Enforcement, Rabi Anwar, said community-based monitoring, mediation and advocacy had helped resolve cases involving detention, child protection, unpaid wages and livelihood insecurity.
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Ojukwu explained that human rights monitors and members of Community Protection Action Groups secured the release of 12 forcibly displaced youths aged between 17 and 22 in Benue State. The youths had been arrested for loitering in front of their camp.
The commission also reported progress in child protection, saying its team rescued children from hawking and child labour in Cross River and Adamawa states. Their parents received counselling on the importance of enrolling their children in school.
In Adamawa State, the team intervened to prevent the forced marriage of a 14-year-old girl. In Cross River State, it referred the parents of two malnourished children to other protection service providers, enabling the children to receive the necessary care.
Ojukwu disclosed that awareness campaigns conducted during the reporting period reached more than 56,000 people, strengthening public understanding of human rights, gender-based violence prevention and available channels for reporting violations.
He said the outcomes demonstrated the practical value of combining human rights monitoring, mediation, referrals, advocacy and follow-up in protecting vulnerable populations.
Despite the reported progress, the commission identified insecurity, economic vulnerability and inadequate infrastructure as major obstacles to human rights protection across the seven project states.
Ojukwu noted that attacks by non-state armed groups continued to threaten the safety and rights of affected communities, underscoring the need for sustained protection measures and coordinated responses.
The commission said continued data collection, community sensitisation and human rights monitoring remained essential for identifying violations, strengthening local responses and connecting vulnerable people with essential services.
Ojukwu called for sustained cooperation among the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), government institutions, humanitarian partners, community leaders and affected populations to address the underlying causes of protection concerns.
He also acknowledged UNHCR’s support for efforts to protect refugees, forcibly displaced persons, asylum seekers, returnees and host communities in Nigeria.
UNHCR Representative Owoche Igwue reaffirmed the agency’s commitment to working with the NHRC to strengthen information management and ensure that the rights of internally displaced persons (IDPs) were upheld.
Igwue stressed the importance of coordinated action between humanitarian and human rights institutions in promoting accountability, improving access to essential services and ensuring that the dignity, safety and fundamental rights of IDPs were respected.
