The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has called for a shift from military-centric responses to insecurity towards a holistic, justice-driven approach to addressing security and economic challenges 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.”
This was contained in a statement signed by Fatimah Agwai Mohammed, Director, Corporate Affairs and External Linkages, NHRC.
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.
According to the NHRC, persistent insecurity and rural conflicts are driven not only by armed violence but also by poverty, marginalisation, weak governance and socio-economic deprivation.
It cited a 28.8 per cent youth unemployment rate and NHRC records documenting 530 cases involving denial of food and shelter, 195 cases of gender-based violence, 324 barriers to education and 1,850 internally displaced persons in Benue State.
The Commission identified several legal and institutional gaps, including the non-justiciability of certain 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 what it described as the largely punitive focus of the Terrorism Act 2022.
The NHRC also highlighted its interventions in conflict-affected communities, including monitoring of terrorism trials at Kainji in 2024, where it observed due process concerns.
It said its Transitional Justice Programme in Borno, Adamawa and Yobe states, supported by the European Union and the United Nations Development Programme, had so far resolved 372 cases, referred 1,157 others and conducted 331 outreach activities in IDP camps.
On the Commission’s investigation into the allegations surrounding the Strategic Initiative for Improving Policing (SIIP) in the North-East, the paper clarified that no evidence was found to establish a systematic abortion of 10,000 pregnancies.
However, it said the investigation confirmed a military attack on Abisari community on June 18, 2016, which resulted in the deaths of 18 people.
The Commission recommended compensation for victims and prosecution where responsibility is established.
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 model comprising enforceable socio-economic rights, specialised mobile Conflict Resolution Courts, formal recognition of alternative dispute resolution and traditional mechanisms, and the establishment of a National Dignity Fund for reparations.
The Commission recommended constitutional amendments to strengthen socio-economic rights, establishment of specialised courts, ratification of the declaration permitting individual access to the African Court, and implementation of relevant ECOWAS Court and SIIP decisions.
The NHRC stressed that sustainable development and resilience in Africa cannot be achieved without strong and resilient legal institutions.
