NHRC Lagos zone records over 100 petitions on rights violations in 11 months

Mr. Lucas Koyejo, the Director of the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) for the Lagos Zone, has disclosed that the commission received more than 100 petitions related to rights violations in the state over the past 11 months.

Koyejo made this revelation during a press briefing in Lagos on Thursday, held in conjunction with a 16-day United Nations activism program aimed at raising awareness about the violations of women’s and girls’ rights in the state. The 2023 campaign’s theme is “End GBV and Harmful Practices Against Women and Girls in Nigeria.”

Highlighting the increasing number of petitions for both males and females, especially females, the director encouraged victims to speak up and actively fight for their rights.

“Whether a man or woman, everybody needs to have their rights protected. Though most of the time, it is the rights of women that are violated. So, people need to report to the commission if they have their rights violated. At the same time, if it is a crime, they also need to report to the police,” he emphasized.

Koyejo urged citizens to utilize the toll-free shortcode 6472 to report infractions to the NHRC. As part of the awareness campaign, the commission’s director, staff, and some non-governmental organizations conducted a road walk in Ikeja to shed light on violations of women’s and girls’ rights.