Oluwafunbi Bello 
PLATEAU, Nigeria – The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) raises alarm over a significant surge in rights violations across Plateau State, confirming 1,068 documented cases within just ten months.
The disclosure comes during a stakeholders’ dialogue and workshop in Jos on Friday, focusing on community-level interventions and the prevention of sexual and gender-based violence.
State Coordinator of the NHRC, Kiyenpiya Mafuyai, says the reported cases span multiple forms of abuse. “The cases we handled include domestic violence, child and forced marriage, denial of female inheritance, emotional abuse, child rape, defilement and molestation,” she notes. She adds that violations also include denial of access and custody, threats to life, unlawful detention, and complaints involving security operatives.
Mafuyai warns that the rising trend reflects growing vulnerability among women, children and persons with disabilities, stressing the need for stronger local response mechanisms.
RoLAC State Coordinator, Mantim Dala, says the workshop forms part of activities for the 2025 16 Days of Activism, supported by the EU. “Our focus is on improving access to justice and supporting institutions and citizens to provide better services for vulnerable and indigent persons,” he states.
He notes that the NHRC’s figures may represent only a fraction of the actual number of violations, urging communities to encourage formal reporting and documentation. “Children, women, persons with disabilities and the poor fall under this category,” he says.
Dala calls for stronger collaboration between government agencies, civil society, the justice sector and community actors to improve documentation, prevention and accountability.
The workshop brings together participants from the education, health and justice sectors, alongside civil society, media representatives and community advocates, signalling a coordinated push to curb persistent rights violations in the state.
About the Author
Oluwatobi Adu 
Koko Maxwella 
Hussaini Ibrahim