UN investigators urge Nigerian government to address atrocities in the Middle Belt.

The United Nations Special Rapporteurs have formally addressed the Nigerian government regarding serious human‑rights violations reported in the Middle Belt region.

The Middle Belt states—Benue, Kogi, Kwara, Nasarawa, Niger, Plateau, and the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja—are the focus of the inquiry.

In a statement released on Thursday, the International Bar Association (IBA) said the UN investigators’ letter represents “a significant escalation in international scrutiny of the ongoing violence.”

The correspondence, sent by the Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary, and arbitrary executions, centers on the right to life, food, housing, and security, among other fundamental rights.

It follows the 2025 Joint Urgent Appeal submitted to the UN by eyeWitnesses to Atrocities, an organization founded by the IBA and the International Committee of Nigeria (ICON).

According to the IBA, the Special Rapporteurs requested detailed information from the Nigerian government on measures taken at both federal and state levels concerning several critical issues, including: the investigation and prosecution of perpetrators of killings and other abuses; accountability for attacks carried out by non‑state actors; and allegations that security forces failed to adequately protect civilians.

Other requested topics include the causes of the violence; its impact on women, children, people with disabilities, and other vulnerable groups; and the protection, rehabilitation, and support for affected areas and internally displaced persons.

The UN experts also demanded information about the widespread destruction of homes, livelihoods, and civilian infrastructure linked to the onslaughts across the crisis‑prone zone.

Director of eyeWitness, Carrie Bowker, said that the decision by multiple UN Special Rapporteurs to engage the Nigerian government underscores the gravity of the allegations emerging from the Middle Belt.

Bowker added that evidence captured by ICON and local record‑keepers depicts years of violence, displacement, and loss endured by citizens, and that “meaningful investigations and accountability are now essential.”

“Behind every piece of footage is a family, a destroyed home, or a life lost,” IBA President Claudio Visco remarked. “Survivors and affected communities deserve protection, justice, and sustained international attention.”

Visco further noted that the communication from the experts appointed by the United Nations sends a clear message that the serious human‑rights violations in Nigeria’s Middle Belt cannot remain invisible.

ICON captured 3,276 video clips between January 2022 and March 2025. The evidence—comprising witness interviews, documenters’ notes, and open‑source research—was presented to the UN in October 2025.