Human rights in Nigeria are protected under the current constitution of 1999. While Nigeria has made major improvements in human rights under this constitution, the American Human Rights Report of 2012 notes several areas in need of improvement, including:Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor. Human Rights Practices for 2012. 2012. abuses by Boko Haram, killings by government forces, lack of social equality and issues with freedom of speech. The Human Rights Watch's 2015 World Report states that intensified violence by Boko Haram, restrictions of LGBT rights and government corruption continue to undermine the status of human rights in Nigeria.
Fundamental Human Right of a Nigerian Constitution The constitution's chapter 4 of the Nigerian Human Rights guarantees the:
Right of life Right of dignity of human persons Right to personal liberty. Right to fair hearing Right to private and family life Right of freedom of thought conscience and religion Right to freedom of expression and the press Right of peaceful assembly and association Right of freedom of movement Right to freedom from discrimination Right to acquire and own immovable property Compulsory acquisition of property Restriction on and derogation from fundamental human rights Special jurisdiction of high court and legal aid.
History since independence In the period between Nigeria's independence in 1960 and return to democracy in 1999, the country had two Heads of State, one appointed, one military successor and 7 coups d'état; i.e. government takeovers by military leaders. Architects of most of the coups sought to justify usurpation of power by alleging corruption or incapacity of the incumbent leader. In 1979, Nigeria adopted a presidential system to institute a legal process of choosing a leader by enacting a new constitution. This constitution was also intended to guarantee fundamental human rights, but has largely been ineffective.
The regime of General Ibrahim Babangida, among others, was noted for egregious human rights abuses.McCarthy-Arnolds, Eileen. "Africa, Human Rights, and the Global System: The Political Economy of Human Rights in a Changing World". 30 December 1993
Although Nigeria has been active in signing and ratifying international human rights treaties over the years, it has seen challenges when trying to implement these treaties domestically. Nigeria operates under a dualist system and cannot apply international treaties unless they are ratified by the legislative houses in Nigeria. Furthermore, although the Nigerian constitution protects civil and political rights, international treaties like the African Charter are intended to expand protection to cultural, socio-economic, and group rights. However, because the Nigerian constitution is the supreme law, the Supreme Court of Nigeria often resolves conflicts in favour of the constitution, thereby restricting the potential expansion of human rights.
Freedom of expression and the press
In 1985, after General Ibrahim Babangida took over the government, he repealed Decree No. 4 of 1984, a law that made it criminal behaviour to publish any material that was considered embarrassing or against the interests of the government.MCathy-Arnolds, Penna, and Sobrepena (1994). "Africa, Human Rights, and the Global System". This led to renewed hope for freedom of expression both by the people and the media. Within the Babangida regime, political tolerance occurred for some time. However, this brief foray into expanding human rights broke down when the regime began jailing its critics and firing employees who did not promote the regime's views and ideas. The Babangida regime ended up closing down more newspapers and banning more popular organizations than any other in Nigeria's post-colonial history.
The paparazzi in Nigeria was often subject to scare tactics and intimidation. Journalists were subjected to "chats" with the State Security Service that involved threats and possible imprisonment. There were continually newspaper shutdowns. In 1990, The Republic, Newbreed, Lagos Daily News, The Punch, and various other newspapers were shut down at different points by the federal government.Africa Watch. "Academic Freedom".
In 1999, freedom of expression became protected by the new Nigerian Constitution. However, defamation laws were also passed, and some have speculated that the defamation laws can be abused to limit freedom of speech.Right To Freedom Of Expression And the Law of Defamation In Nigeria
Critics maintain that though measures of freedom of the press have improved, there is still room for improvement. Nigeria was described as "partly free" in the Freedom of the Press 2011 report published by the Freedom House (see yearly rankings in Freedom House ratings in Nigeria section)."2011 Human Rights Reports: Nigeria". Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor, U.S. Department of State. 24 May 2012.
On 26 April 2020, the Reporter without Borders World Press Freedom Index ranked Nigeria 115 out of 180 countries surveyed. Reporters without Borders cited killing, detention and brutalisation of journalists alongside targeted attempts to shrink the civic space by the Nigerian Government as a reason for the ranking. However, this rank is higher than the 146 ranks which Transparency International gave Nigeria earlier in the year in regards to corruption. The Reporters without Borders report further stated "With more than 100 independent newspapers, Africa's most populous nation enjoys real media pluralism but covering stories involving politics, terrorism or financial embezzlement by the powerful is very problematic." In 2025 the Reporters without Borders ranking has fallen to 122 out of 180 ranked countries.
On 24 July 2020, the United Nations official urged the Nigerian authorities to immediately release a prominent human rights defender Mubarak Bala, who has been detained for more than two months without charges, on accusations of blasphemy.
In late September 2020, the United Nations human rights experts urged Nigerian authorities to release singer Yahaya Sharif-Aminu, who was convicted and sentenced to death over an allegedly blasphemous song. U.N. Human Rights Special Procedures group claimed that a group of people burned down the singer's home on 4 March.
On 4 June 2021, the Federal Government of Nigeria announced a ban on Twitter after President Muhammadu Buhari's tweet was removed by Twitter for being abusive against a specific tribe of the country and capable of inciting violence, a violation of the rules of the platform. This move is a further concern in regards to the expression of free speech and communication in the country. In January 2022, Nigeria lifted its blocking of Twitter. Twitter (now X) agreed to establish a legal entity within the country sometime in the first quarter of 2022.
Government violations Nigerian security forces are frequently alleged to carry out arbitrary arrests, torture,Africa Eye: Torture ‘rampant’ among Nigeria's security forces , BBC news, 10 February 2020. forced disappearances, assassinations and extrajudicial summary executions. These abuses typically occur within the context of the Nigerian government's security operations or are directed against political and religious organizations and individuals. Several instances of mass killings of political opponents and agitators by security forces have been reported.
Army
On 12–14 December 2015, the Nigerian Army carried out a massacre of 347 members of the Islamic Movement of Nigeria (IMN) in Zaria, Kaduna State and buried the bodies in mass graves. In March 2020, it was revealed that some Nigeria army soldiers took advantage of food shortages at refugee camps in Borno state and raped women at female-designated "satellite camps" in exchange for granting them food. These refugee camp food shortages have also been reported to result in the death of thousands of people since 2015. On 4 April 2020, three Army soldiers were arrested in Lagos state for issuing threats to rape women. On 21 May 2020, two Lagos state Army deserters, Kehinde Elijah and Ezeh Joseph, were arrested for their involvement in the murder of a police sergeant on 10 May 2020. The shooters, who were afterwards taken into military custody, were also assisted by a Nigerian police officer and were wanted for "violent crimes."
Police force In Nigeria, the Nigeria Police Force has been commonly viewed as inefficient and corrupt. The Nigerian Joint Task Force (JTF) has been accused of providing an inadequate and violent response to the Boko Haram attacks. The JTF has been involved in killing suspects without fair trial as well as killing multiple members of different communities suspected of supporting the Boko Haram. Human Rights Watch has stated that these actions violate human rights with the lack of access to a fair trial and use of discriminatory techniques to determine perpetrators of violence.
Within the regular Nigerian Police Force, there are high amounts of corruption and violations that include extortion and embezzlement. A common extortion tactic of the police force involves putting up unnecessary roadblocks that require a fee to pass. Within the police force, there is no equal protection under the law.Human Rights Watch. "Everyone's in on the Game- Corruption and Human Rights Abuses by the Nigerian Police Force". August 2010 The wealthy are able to pay off the police to act as their security, as well as expect the police to turn a blind eye to any illegal activities they may participate in.
On 2 August 2019, two officers of the Nigerian Police Force's Anti-Cultism Squad, Insp. Ogunyemi Olalekan and Sgt. Godwin Orji, were arrested and charged with murdering a man during a raid in Lagos. On 21 August 2019, four SARS operatives were arrested and charged with murder after being caught on film manhandling and then shooting to death two suspected phone thieves in broad daylight. The shooting occurred after the suspected thieves had already been arrested.
On 5 January 2020, three Nigerian Police Force officers were arrested for beating bus passenger Justice Obasi, after he refused to unlock his mobile phone. On 3 April 2020, a Nigerian police officer was arrested for assaulting a port worker. On 18 April 2020, the Nigerian Police Force stated that two of its officers were arrested after being caught on film beating a woman at the Odo Ori Market in Iwo, Osun.
On 28 April 2020, Nigerian Police Force's Rivers State Police Command arraigned former Sgt. Bitrus Osaiah in court for shooting to death his female colleague, Lavender Elekwachi, during a raid on street trading and illegal motor parks the previous week. Osaiah was dismissed as a police officer the previous day for killing Elekwachi, who also held the rank of a Sergeant. It was reported that Osaiah was in fact arrested for the killing. On 21 May 2020, Yahaha Adeshina, the Divisional Police Officer of Ilemba Hausa Division, was arresting for assisting Kehinde Elijah and Ezeh Joseph in the 10 May 2020 murder of sergeant Onalaja Onajide. All three shooters were nervously wanted for violent crimes. On 30 May 2020, two Lagos police officers were arrested for shooting to death a 16-year old girl.