The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) received 700 complaints of human rights abuse in Kaduna State in 2021.
The Coordinator of the commission in the state, Mr. Terngu Gwar, disclosed this on Thursday in Kaduna.
They said that out of the cases reported, 535 have been concluded, while 165 are still being attended to.
He said the cases ranged from domestic violence, rape, a threat to life, forceful marriage abandonment of wife/ family, custody/ access to children, and child labour.
Others, he said, are child abandonment, torture, extortion, delay in a court trial, unlawful arrest, and detention.
“There has been a spike in the number of complaints received in 2021 as the COVID-19 Pandemic has thrown up several human rights issues.
“Over 80 per of the complaints received dwells largely on s3xual and Gender-Based Violence which include domestic violence, rape, denial of inheritance and force marriage,” he said.
Gwar said the pandemic did not only bring about an increase in complaints but also affect the working atmosphere condition.
He said because of the pandemic, some particular level of staff were asked to work from home based on the Federal Government directives to civil servants.
He stated that based on the directives, the commission had a limited number of staff in the office to attend to complaints but the determination of those in the office made it possible to attend to complaints.
Gwar said the pending cases would be addressed in no distant time, and called on Kaduna residents to report cases of abuse to the appropriate authorities for prompt action.
He added that the commission is ready to serve everyone whose rights have been violated irrespective of gender, religion, or political views.
