The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has called on United Nations Secretary-General, António Guterres, to urgently invoke Article 99 of the UN Charter and bring Nigeria’s escalating insecurity and human rights crisis before the United Nations Security Council.
In a statement on Sunday, SERAP expressed concern over the persistent wave of killings, mass abductions, attacks on civilians, forced displacement, and other grave human rights violations reported across several states, including Benue, Borno, Plateau, Kaduna, Zamfara, and Oyo.
The organisation argued that the scale and persistence of the crisis, coupled with its regional implications, now constitute a threat to international peace and security, warranting urgent intervention by the global body.
According to SERAP, years of violence and armed conflicts have left a trail of destruction, humanitarian suffering, and collective trauma in many communities across Nigeria.
The group stated that Article 99 of the UN Charter was specifically created to address situations where emerging or ongoing crises require preventive diplomacy, sustained international attention, and coordinated action to avert further deterioration.
“Article 99 of the UN Charter provides that the Secretary-General may bring to the attention of the Security Council any matter which in his opinion may threaten the maintenance of international peace and security,” SERAP noted.
The rights organisation maintained that placing Nigeria’s worsening insecurity and human rights situation on the formal agenda of the Security Council would ensure greater international scrutiny of attacks on civilians, including kidnappings, killings, and mass displacement.
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SERAP further argued that the crisis should not be viewed merely as a domestic security challenge, warning that its consequences increasingly extend beyond Nigeria’s borders through the movement of armed groups and weapons, growing regional instability, and weakened human rights and rule-of-law institutions.
The organisation said sustained international engagement would strengthen efforts to protect vulnerable communities while reinforcing the United Nations’ commitment to maintaining global peace and security.
“The crisis in Nigeria is not merely a domestic law-enforcement issue. Its effects increasingly implicate regional peace and security through cross-border movement of armed groups and weapons, large-scale displacement, growing instability extending beyond Nigeria’s borders, and weakening human rights protection and rule-of-law institutions,” the statement added.
The appeal comes amid renewed concerns over the security situation in several parts of the country, where communities continue to grapple with violent attacks, kidnappings, and displacement despite ongoing military and security operations.
As of the time of filing this report, neither the United Nations nor the Federal Government had officially responded to SERAP’s request.