Human rights violations surge in Gombe 

By Elizabeth Ogunjobi

The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) on Monday said it has recorded no fewer than 287 human rights violations in Gombe State between January and June.

The commission’s State Coordinator, Dr Joseph Wanshe, stated this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Gombe.

Wanshe said that out of the 287 cases received, 215 consisted of women and children rights violation, domestic violence and rape, and inhuman degrading.

He said 43 were cases of civil and political rights violations; 23 were economic, social and cultural rights violations, while six were environmental rights violations.

Wanshe said that, however, out of the 287 complaints received, about 230 had been effectively resolved through alternative dispute resolution mechanisms.

He said that, though the 230 complaints had been resolved, there was continued supervision and proper monitoring to ensure compliance with terms of agreement by the parties involved.

The coordinator said there was an increase in the number of complaints received, compared to previous years as a result of intensified sensitisation across the state.

He said that there was an internal restructuring in the Gombe office, which included the creation of departments overseeing different forms of violations.

“We have had over 50 sensitisation programmes in the last six months, particularly on radio stations, school visits on human rights sensitisation, television programmes, organisations and market visits to address them.

“We had internal re-engineering, reorganising and restructuring.

“We created departments for research, sensitisation and promotion of human rights awareness and that of public outreach and monitoring,” Wanshe said.

He acknowledged the support from state government agencies and the civil society organisations, traditional and religious leaders.

He also appreciated Gombe State Emergency Management Agency for its cooperation, especially in the health and education sector.

Wanshe called on residents to sustain the culture of reporting abuses to the commission for effective treatment, stressing, “Cases reported to the commission are treated without any fee.’’

NAN reports that in 2025, 285 complaints were reported, but in the first half of 2026, 287 complaints have been received; this marks a significant boost in tackling human rights abuses in the state. (NAN)