The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has called on United Nations Secretary-General, António Guterres, to invoke Article 99 of the UN Charter and formally bring Nigeria’s worsening security situation before the UN Security Council, warning that the country’s escalating violence now poses a threat to regional peace and international security.
In an open letter dated May 30, 2026, and signed by its Deputy Director, Kolawole Oluwadare, SERAP argued that the persistent wave of kidnappings, killings, attacks on civilians, and mass displacement across several states has evolved beyond a domestic security challenge and requires urgent international attention.
The organisation cited recurring incidents in Oyo, Benue, Borno, Plateau, Kaduna and Zamfara states, among others, as evidence of a deepening human rights and humanitarian crisis.
According to SERAP, the scale and persistence of the violence, coupled with its regional implications, justify the Secretary-General’s intervention under Article 99 of the UN Charter, which empowers the UN chief to draw the Security Council’s attention to situations that may threaten international peace and security.
The rights group maintained that years of violence have inflicted enormous human suffering, widespread destruction and psychological trauma on affected communities, while state authorities have struggled to provide adequate protection for citizens.
SERAP specifically referenced the recent abduction of pupils and teachers in Oyo State as an example of the deteriorating security environment facing civilians.
The organisation noted that on or about May 15, 2026, armed men reportedly attacked multiple schools in Ahoro Esinele community in Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State, including Community Grammar School, Baptist Nursery and Primary School, and L.A. Primary School.
According to the group, at least 25 pupils and seven teachers were abducted during the coordinated attacks. An assistant headmaster was reportedly killed, while another teacher later died in captivity.
SERAP also highlighted videos that circulated after the incident, showing one of the abducted teachers, identified as the vice principal of Community Grammar School, appealing publicly to President Bola Tinubu, Governor Seyi Makinde and Nigerians to secure the victims’ release.
The organisation said the incident underscored the vulnerability of schools and education workers to criminal attacks and demonstrated the urgent need for stronger civilian protection measures.
Beyond Oyo State, SERAP pointed to reports of gunmen abducting students and other travellers in Benue State who were travelling to sit for university entrance examinations.
The group further cited growing violence in the North-East, North-West and North-Central regions, including recent bomb explosions in Maiduguri, Borno State, which reportedly killed at least 23 people and injured more than 100 others.
It also referenced attacks on military formations, internally displaced persons’ camps, rural communities, and repeated kidnappings of women and children.
In Katsina State, SERAP noted that gunmen recently killed at least 10 people, including women and children, while separate attacks reportedly left about 20 others dead and led to further abductions. The organisation also cited another attack in Adamawa State that allegedly claimed at least 29 lives.
According to SERAP, these incidents collectively demonstrate an intensifying security crisis characterised by mass killings, abductions and sustained attacks on vulnerable communities.
The organisation warned that the situation could deteriorate further into a major humanitarian emergency with consequences extending beyond Nigeria’s borders, potentially affecting stability across the West African sub-region.
SERAP argued that insecurity in Nigeria increasingly carries regional dimensions through the cross-border movement of armed groups and weapons, large-scale displacement of populations, and the weakening of human rights and rule-of-law institutions.
The organisation pointed to previous expressions of concern by UN officials over the security situation in Nigeria. It recalled that in June 2025, Guterres condemned killings in Benue State and called for accountability, while in February 2026 he denounced a terrorist attack in Kwara State and reaffirmed the UN’s solidarity with Nigeria.
SERAP also referenced concerns raised by the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights over the rise in mass abductions and the need for authorities to ensure accountability and secure the release of victims.
The organisation noted that UN humanitarian officials have repeatedly warned that violence across multiple regions of Nigeria has displaced millions of people, disrupted livelihoods and worsened one of the country’s most severe humanitarian crises in recent years.
According to SERAP, these warnings demonstrate that Nigeria’s insecurity is no longer solely an internal matter but one with significant human rights, humanitarian and regional security implications.
The rights group further argued that international human rights law imposes obligations on governments not only to refrain from violations but also to take reasonable steps to prevent, investigate and punish abuses by non-state actors.
It said the recurring pattern of kidnappings, killings, enforced disappearances and attacks across Nigeria shows that the risks are well documented and foreseeable, raising concerns about compliance with international obligations where adequate preventive measures and accountability mechanisms are lacking.
SERAP therefore urged Guterres to place Nigeria’s security situation before the Security Council, encourage regular briefings on insecurity and humanitarian conditions in the country, and support systematic reporting on attacks, displacement and related human rights concerns.
The organisation also called for stronger international engagement to press Nigerian authorities to protect civilians, secure the release of abducted persons, conduct independent investigations into attacks, prosecute perpetrators and provide remedies for victims.
Additionally, SERAP urged the UN chief to encourage the international community to use all available diplomatic channels and influence to prevent further escalation of violence and protect lives across affected communities.
The organisation maintained that sustained international attention and coordinated action are necessary to address what it described as a rapidly worsening security and humanitarian crisis threatening millions of Nigerians and regional stability.
