The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has called on United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres (António Guterres) to urgently invoke Article 99 of the UN Charter and bring Nigeria’s worsening security crisis before the United Nations Security Council (United Nations Security Council).
In an open letter dated May 30, 2026, and signed by its Deputy Director Kolawole Oluwadare, SERAP said Nigeria is facing escalating insecurity marked by mass abductions, killings, forced displacement, and repeated attacks on civilians across several states.
The organisation argued that the situation has gone beyond a domestic law-enforcement challenge, warning that it now poses wider risks to regional peace and stability due to cross-border movement of armed groups, proliferation of weapons, and large-scale displacement.
According to SERAP, communities in several parts of Nigeria, including Oyo State, Benue State, and Borno State, continue to suffer repeated attacks by armed groups and criminal networks.
The group cited the recent abduction of pupils and teachers in Oyo State, where armed men reportedly stormed schools in the Oriire Local Government Area on May 15, 2026. At least 25 pupils and seven teachers were said to have been kidnapped, while one school official was killed and another later died in captivity.
SERAP also referenced other incidents, including the abduction of students and travellers in Benue State, bomb attacks in Maiduguri that left dozens dead and injured, and violent raids in Katsina and Adamawa States that resulted in multiple deaths and kidnappings.
It warned that repeated mass abductions of schoolchildren, women, commuters, and rural residents, alongside attacks on villages and displacement camps, reflect a deepening humanitarian and security emergency.
The group further noted that international concern has already been expressed by United Nations officials, including earlier condemnations of violent incidents in Nigeria and warnings about rising insecurity and its humanitarian consequences.
SERAP stressed that under international human rights obligations, the Nigerian government is required to prevent, investigate, and prosecute abuses by non-state actors, adding that persistent failures to do so raise serious legal and moral concerns.
The organisation therefore urged the UN Secretary-General to:
- Invoke Article 99 and bring Nigeria’s security situation before the Security Council
- Support regular UN Security Council briefings on insecurity and humanitarian impacts
- Request systematic UN reporting on violence, displacement, and civilian harm
- Press Nigerian authorities to protect civilians and secure the release of abducted persons
- Ensure independent investigations and accountability for perpetrators
- Strengthen international efforts to prevent further escalation of violence
SERAP warned that without urgent intervention, the crisis could deepen further, with severe consequences for civilian safety, national stability, and peace across the West African subregion.
