NHRC Demands Answers as Civilian Deaths from Military Airstrikes Trigger Fresh Outrage

By: Michael Mike

The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has demanded a full explanation from the Nigerian Air Force over the recurring wave of civilian casualties linked to military airstrikes across parts of the country, warning that the continued loss of innocent lives is unacceptable and raises grave human rights concerns.

Executive Secretary of the Commission, Tony Ojukwu, said the repeated bombings of civilian communities, markets and vulnerable populations under the guise of counter-insurgency operations have become deeply disturbing and cannot continue without accountability.

While acknowledging the responsibility of the Nigerian State to combat insurgency, banditry and terrorism, Ojukwu stressed that military operations must comply strictly with constitutional provisions, international humanitarian law and Nigeria’s human rights obligations.

“The repeated reports of civilian deaths and injuries, including women, children and other vulnerable persons, arising from aerial bombardments raise serious concerns regarding the protection of the right to life and human dignity,” he stated.

The Commission specifically questioned why civilian casualties linked to airstrikes have continued to recur despite previous public outrage and repeated promises of operational reforms.

“Nigerians deserve to know why this has become a recurring decimal,” Ojukwu said.

He cited recent incidents recorded within April and May alone, including reported airstrike casualties at Jilli Market in Yobe State, Shiroro Market in Niger State and Tumfa Market in Zamfara State.

“For how long will this continue?” he asked.

The Chief Human Rights Officer warned that the principles of distinction, necessity, proportionality and accountability remain binding obligations under international humanitarian law and must guide every military engagement, especially in conflict-affected communities where civilians are at greatest risk.

According to him, civilian populations must never be reduced to “collateral damage” in the conduct of security operations.

The Commission called on the Nigerian Air Force to provide a comprehensive account of the circumstances surrounding the incidents and disclose the safeguards being implemented to prevent future civilian deaths.

Ojukwu further demanded prompt, transparent and independent investigations into all reported cases of civilian casualties resulting from military airstrikes, insisting that victims and affected communities deserve justice, compensation and psychosocial support.

He also urged security agencies to improve intelligence gathering, operational precision and internal accountability mechanisms to reduce the risk of targeting innocent civilians during aerial operations.

The NHRC maintained that national security objectives cannot be pursued outside the framework of legality and respect for human dignity.

“National security and human rights protection are not mutually exclusive,” the Commission stated, warning that public trust in security operations would continue to erode if civilian deaths persist without accountability.

The Commission reaffirmed its commitment to closely monitor developments and engage relevant authorities to ensure the protection of citizens’ rights amid ongoing security operations across the country.

NHRC Demands Answers as Civilian Deaths from Military Airstrikes Trigger Fresh Outrage

Power Is Temporary, Humanity Must Endure — Ambassador Alege Declares at Abuja Book Launch

By: Michael Mike

Nigeria’s political elite, diplomats, jurists and scholars gathered in Abuja on Tuesday as veteran diplomat, Ambassador Shina Alege, delivered a piercing message on leadership, power, insecurity and the declining state of human compassion during the launch of five books drawn from his decades in public service.

The atmosphere at the event was more reflective than ceremonial as speakers confronted difficult national and global realities — from abuse of power and collapsing communal values to insecurity and the moral burden of leadership.

Former Chief Justice of Nigeria, Olukayode Ariwoola, who chaired the occasion, described the books as a rare fusion of diplomacy, personal experience and social conscience, warning that the issues raised by the author could no longer be ignored.

“This is far beyond a literary celebration,” Ariwoola said. “It is a serious intellectual intervention into the crises confronting leadership, humanity and governance today.”

The retired jurist said Ambassador Alege’s writings carried unusual weight because they emerged from lived experience across turbulent moments in Nigeria’s diplomatic history.

“These are not theoretical arguments crafted from a distance. They are reflections forged in service, crisis and responsibility,” he stated.

At the centre of the gathering was Ambassador Alege himself, whose remarks moved between philosophy, diplomacy and sharp social criticism.

Standing before a packed audience of ambassadors, senior lawyers, professors and government officials, the former envoy warned that many societies had lost the values that once held communities together.

“The essence of life is to build a community,” Alege declared. “What we have today is no longer community — it is a crowd. People watch suffering, record tragedies on their phones, and move on. That loss of humanity is dangerous.”

His comments drew prolonged applause from participants at the event.

The diplomat used the unveiling of his books to issue a broader warning about leadership and the temporary nature of political authority.p

Speaking on one of the books, The Expiry Date of Power, Alege said many leaders behave as though power is permanent, forgetting that history eventually humbles every office holder.

“The only person that powers permanently is God Almighty,” he said. “Absolute power corrupts absolutely. Leadership must be exercised with restraint, accountability and conscience.”

Other books presented at the launch tackled conflict management, insecurity and governance failures across Africa.

According to the author, The Sirens and The Flags explores leadership under pressure and moments of crisis, while Insecurity and Regional Leadership in Africa interrogates the inability of African states to effectively confront rising instability and governance breakdown.

Former Ogun State Governor, Ibikunle Amosun, represented by Barrister Raji Ahmed, praised the diplomat for documenting lessons from years of international service, including sensitive operations involving Nigerians trapped in conflict zones.

“Books like these are earned through sacrifice, experience and reflection,” he said. “They preserve institutional memory and challenge future leaders to think differently about service and responsibility.”

Beyond the intellectual conversations, the event became a deeper reflection on the state of society itself — one in which speakers repeatedly returned to the themes of empathy, moral leadership and national decline.

For many attendees, the strongest message of the day was not merely about diplomacy or governance, but about the urgent need to restore compassion in public life before ambition, power and indifference completely overshadow humanity.

Power Is Temporary, Humanity Must Endure — Ambassador Alege Declares at Abuja Book Launch

Hunger, Conflict, Disease Push Northern Nigeria Toward Humanitarian Breaking Point — MSF

By: Michael Mike

International medical humanitarian organisation, Médecins Sans Frontières, has raised fresh alarm over what it described as a deepening humanitarian catastrophe in Nigeria, warning that worsening hunger, disease outbreaks and insecurity are driving thousands of vulnerable families — especially children — toward death and despair.

In its 2025 Nigeria Country Report of Activities, the organisation painted a troubling picture of overstretched hospitals, rising cases of severe acute malnutrition and communities trapped between poverty and violent conflict, particularly across northern Nigeria.

The report revealed that hundreds of thousands of children are now battling life-threatening malnutrition in a country that remains Africa’s largest economy, exposing what humanitarian workers described as the widening gap between economic realities and human survival.

According to MSF, more than 250,000 severely malnourished children were treated in outpatient facilities in 2024, while over 76,000 children suffering dangerous complications linked to malnutrition required emergency hospital admission.

The organisation warned that the crisis is no longer seasonal or temporary but has evolved into a chronic humanitarian emergency fuelled by inflation, displacement, insecurity and collapsing access to healthcare.

“Malnutrition is no longer just an emergency during the lean season,” the organisation noted in the report. “For many families, it has become a permanent condition of survival.”

In states across the Northwest and Northeast, medical facilities supported by MSF are reportedly struggling under the weight of increasing admissions linked to severe hunger, measles, malaria and respiratory infections.

The situation in Bauchi State reflects the scale of the emergency. Between January and April 2025 alone, nearly 28,000 malnourished children were treated — a dramatic increase compared to the same period last year.

MSF also highlighted the deadly combination of malaria and malnutrition in Kano and surrounding states, warning that both conditions are reinforcing each other and placing children at even greater risk of death.

The humanitarian organisation said many parents now arrive at treatment centres after exhausting every coping mechanism, including skipping meals, selling possessions and withdrawing children from school.

Beyond hunger, the report drew attention to the impact of insecurity on healthcare delivery, especially in conflict-affected communities where violence, displacement and fear continue to cut millions off from medical services.

In several communities, MSF teams reportedly operated in fragile environments where healthcare workers face enormous logistical and security challenges while attempting to respond to disease outbreaks and medical emergencies.

The organisation also reflected on its long-running intervention against Lassa fever in Ebonyi State, where it supported treatment, laboratory systems and emergency preparedness before formally transferring responsibilities to local authorities this year.

Despite these interventions, MSF warned that humanitarian needs across Nigeria are expanding faster than available resources.

The report called for urgent and sustained investment in nutrition, primary healthcare, disease surveillance and protection for vulnerable populations, warning that failure to act decisively could worsen an already fragile humanitarian situation.

For many observers, the report represents more than a medical assessment — it is an indictment of the harsh realities confronting millions of Nigerians who remain trapped between economic hardship, insecurity and inadequate access to basic healthcare.

Hunger, Conflict, Disease Push Northern Nigeria Toward Humanitarian Breaking Point — MSF