NHRC Calls for Justice-Centred Approach to Tackle Insecurity, Conflicts in Africa
By Pan Afric Reporters
The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has called for a shift from predominantly military responses to insecurity towards a holistic, justice-centred approach capable of addressing the root causes of conflict, poverty and economic instability across Africa.
The call was contained in a paper presented by the Commission 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,” used the North-East insurgency and the Benue farmer-herder crisis as case studies.
The Commission identified gaps in Nigeria’s justice framework, including the non-justiciability of socio-economic rights under Section 6(6)(c) of the 1999 Constitution, the non-binding nature of African Commission decisions, restrictive access to the African Court under Article 34(6), and the predominantly punitive orientation of the Terrorism Act 2022.
The NHRC linked terrorism and rural conflicts to poverty, youth unemployment, marginalisation and weak governance, citing 28.8 per cent youth unemployment alongside its records of 530 cases involving denial of food and shelter, 195 cases of gender-based violence and 324 barriers to education. It also reported that 1,850 internally displaced persons were documented in Benue alone.
On its interventions, the Commission cited its monitoring of terrorism trials at Kainji in 2024, where it observed due-process gaps, as well as its Transitional Justice Programme in Borno, Adamawa and Yobe, implemented with support from the European Union and UNDP. According to the paper, the programme has resolved 372 cases, referred 1,157 cases and conducted 331 outreaches in IDP camps.
The Commission also clarified findings from its investigation into the military’s activities under the State of Israel Investigation Panel (SIIP) in the North-East, stating that it found no evidence of a systematic abortion of 10,000 pregnancies. However, it confirmed a military attack on Abisari community on June 18, 2016, which resulted in the deaths of 18 people, and recommended compensation for victims and prosecution where appropriate.
Referencing judgments of the ECOWAS Court in suits ECW/CCJ/APP/11/16 and ECW/CCJ/APP/16/18, the NHRC said the court had ordered Nigeria to investigate killings in Benue and provide redress for victims. To close what it described as the justice gap, the Commission proposed a four-pillar framework comprising enforceable socio-economic rights, specialised mobile Conflict Resolution Courts, recognition of alternative dispute resolution and traditional mechanisms, and the establishment of a National Dignity Fund for reparations.
The NHRC further recommended constitutional amendments, the establishment of special courts, ratification of Nigeria’s declaration permitting individual access to the African Court, and implementation of ECOWAS and SIIP decisions. The Commission stressed that “resilient development is impossible without resilient legal institutions,” arguing that sustainable peace requires justice systems capable of protecting rights, resolving conflicts and providing effective remedies for victims.
