According to the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), in 2024, 339 cases of suspected human rights violations were reported in Gombe State.
According to Mr. Ali Alola-Alfinti, the NHRC spokesperson, this was said in a Gombe interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN).
According to Alola-Alfinti, the most of the instances included paternal neglect, in which dads desert their wives and children, claiming poverty and financial difficulties as justifications.
He claimed that ongoing education initiatives on the state’s human rights abuses were to blame for the rise in cases.
He claims that in order to inform the public and inspire them to speak out against the threat, the commission works with media outlets, religious leaders, and civil society organizations.
“We are now getting more victims coming to report. This is good for the campaign against rights violations,” he stated.
“Silence remains a major challenge in the fight against rights violations as protection of rights will not be possible if cases are not reported.
“The commission recorded 339 cases, and we believe it is as a result of the support from other relevant stakeholders.
“The highest in terms of cases is parental neglect with about 50 percent of the complaints, including family abandonment without food, clothing and shelter unlike before when we had fundamental human rights, especially right to life, dignity, inhuman or degrading treatments.”
He claimed that in order to address the problem of parental neglect, the commission had increased outreach and made men more aware of their responsibility to provide for their families.
“Denying them of their rights is a punishable offence under the law,” he said, adding that rights protection was critical to conflict prevention and peaceful society.
“When we respect each other’s rights, we will have a peaceful community but when you infringe on another’s right, there will be retaliation and a chaotic society,” he added.
