NHRC Calls for Justice-Centred Approach to Tackling Insecurity, Poverty in Africa
The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has called for a shift from predominantly military responses to a holistic, justice-driven approach to addressing insecurity, conflict and economic instability across Africa.
The Commission made the call in a paper presented at the 2026 African Bar Association Conference in Cape Verde, themed, “Resilient Africa’s Roadmap for Sustainable Development.”
The paper, titled “Legal Mechanisms to Ensure Access to Justice in Regions Affected by Security Threats,” examined Nigeria’s North-East insurgency and the farmer-herder crisis in Benue State as case studies of the challenges confronting conflict-affected communities.
According to the NHRC, significant gaps in the existing justice framework continue to undermine access to justice and effective remedies for victims of insecurity and human rights violations.
It identified the non-justiciability of socio-economic rights under Section 6(6)(c) of the 1999 Constitution, the non-binding nature of African Commission decisions, restrictions on access to the African Court under Article 34(6), and the largely punitive orientation of the Terrorism Act 2022 among the key challenges.
The Commission also linked terrorism and rural conflicts to broader socio-economic challenges, including poverty, youth unemployment, marginalisation and weak governance.
It said its data recorded 530 cases involving denial of food and shelter, 195 cases of gender-based violence and 324 cases involving barriers to education, while 1,850 internally displaced persons (IDPs) were documented in Benue State alone.
The NHRC highlighted some of its interventions in conflict-affected communities, including its monitoring of terrorism trials at Kainji in 2024, where it observed gaps relating to due process.
It also cited its Transitional Justice Programme in Borno, Adamawa and Yobe States, implemented with the support of the European Union and UNDP.
Under the programme, the Commission said it had resolved 372 cases, referred 1,157 cases and conducted 331 outreach programmes in IDP camps.
On the Special Investigation into the allegations of mass abortion in the North-East, the Commission clarified that its investigation did not find evidence of a systematic abortion of 10,000 pregnancies.
However, it confirmed that a military attack on Abisari community on June 18, 2016, resulted in the deaths of 18 people and recommended compensation for victims as well as prosecution where appropriate.
The paper also referenced judgments of the ECOWAS Court in suits ECW/CCJ/APP/11/16 and ECW/CCJ/APP/16/18, which ordered Nigeria to investigate killings in Benue and provide redress to victims.
To bridge the justice gap, the NHRC proposed a four-pillar framework comprising enforceable socio-economic rights, specialised mobile Conflict Resolution Courts, formal recognition of alternative dispute resolution and traditional justice mechanisms, and the establishment of a National Dignity Fund for reparations.
The Commission recommended constitutional amendments to strengthen the enforceability of socio-economic rights, the establishment of specialised courts to handle conflicts, ratification of the African Court declaration and implementation of relevant ECOWAS Court and SIIP recommendations.
It stressed that sustainable development and lasting peace in Africa require legal institutions capable of protecting rights, delivering justice and providing effective remedies to victims of conflict.
