Mokwa Flood: NHRC Calls for Improved Disaster Preparedness

•Records over 275,000 human rights complaints in May

Michael Olugbodein Abuja

The Executive Secretary of the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), Dr. Tony Ojukwu, has called for improved disaster preparedness and protection for Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in the country.

The call followed the recent flood disaster in Mokwa, Niger State, where over 200 people were lost to devastating flood.

Ojukwu, made the call at the Commission’s monthly Human Rights Situation Dashboard held in Abuja, yesterday, where he announced the launch of a new quarterly Human Rights and Internal Displacement Dashboard—the first of its kind in Nigeria’s history, to address the growing displacement crisis in the country.

The NHRC boss while stating that the initiative, developed in partnership with the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR), would systematically track and address the challenges facing IDPs, asylum seekers, refugees, and returnees, disclosed that between February and April the Commission recorded over 40,000 displacement incidents and 1,460 rights complaints from the vulnerable groups.

He lamented that many continue to suffer from inadequate shelter, lack of healthcare, and systematic rights violations in the country.

Ojukwu also raised the alarm over the growing humanitarian and rights crisis in Nigeria, revealing that the Commission recorded over 275,256 complaints in the month of May alone.

He noted that the overwhelming number of complaints was a clear indication that “too many Nigerians feel unprotected” and that the country risks normalising distress and impunity.

He said: “When over a quarter of a million people come to the National Human Rights Commission in just one month, the message is loud and clear.”

The NHRC boss highlighted the wide range of rights violations witnessed in May, including violent attacks in the northeast, sexual violence, and mass deaths from natural disasters.

Ojukwu announced that the Commission will go into partnership with Ability Live Initiative Allies, a civil society group focused on the rights of persons with disabilities.

He said the partnership seeks to tackle deep-seated discrimination against the estimated five million Nigerians living with disabilities, who continue to face limited access to education, employment, and public services.

“This partnership aims to ensure that persons with disabilities are not merely included but are actively participating in societal and economic spheres,” Ojukwu said, while urging government agencies, development partners, and civil society organisations to use the dashboards not only as data tools but as mechanisms to hold authorities accountable and improve human rights outcomes.