National Human Rights Commission, South-West Zone, has received more than 200 petitions from individuals and organizations between January and December, 2017.

Zonal Coordinator, Lucas Koyejor said this during the Human Rights awareness campaign held at Ikea Local Government Area, saying the petitions were from individuals against the police and domestic violence, employment issues, stressing that all the cases were being investigated.

“Some of the cases had been concluded and recommended for prosecution,” he said.

UN Country Director for Information in Nigeria, Roland Kayanja said the level of awareness by Nigerians on Human Rights was disappointing.

According to Kayanja, about 75 per cent of Nigerians, especially, the young ones do not know anything about their rights.

“We conducted a survey on some Nigerians, 70 per cent of them, ages 13 and 35 are not aware of their fundamental Human Rights. It is only when you know your right, that you can demanding for it.

“The elites know their rights and they always demand for them. There is right for education, but how young ones know this and demand for it? All the stakeholders are to blame for the lack of knowledge.

“We need to intensify campaign for Nigerians to know their rights. Our challenge now is to make Nigerians understand what are their rights, “ he said.

He said 2017 Human Rights day was to commemorate the 70th years of Universal Declaration of human right, stressing that it was one of the three pillars of the UN, along with peace and development.

Kayanja, who read the Secretary-General message urged people and leaders everywhere to stand up for all Human Rights and for the values that underpin our hopes for a fairer, safer and better world for all.

The legal officer of Ikeja Local Government Area, Rainy Kazeem said although had improved on her Human Rights record, stressing that there were still rooms for improvement.

He urged the government to improve on the criminal justice system, with a view to reduce the number of innocent persons and minor offenders being imprisoned.

A member of International Youths for Human Rights, Jude Akachukwu said the Bill to control NGOs currently at the National Assembly and law against Gay were anti-human right.