The United States has raised concerns over Nigeria’s human rights, justice system, and economic conditions, citing arbitrary arrests, prolonged pre-trial detentions, and erosion of wages due to naira depreciation.
In its 2024 Country Report on Human Rights Practices, released by the Department of State’s Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labour, Washington pointed to enforced disappearances, arbitrary detentions, and systemic failures in justice delivery as persistent challenges.
The report referenced Amnesty International’s claims that the whereabouts of “dozens of young men detained at SARS Awkuzu,” in Anambra State remain unknown years after the police unit’s disbandment. It also noted that while Nigerian law requires detainees to be brought before a magistrate within 48 hours, violations by security forces remain common.
It further highlighted problems of corruption, inadequate judges, and lack of logistics, saying:
“Some detainees were held in pre-trial detention for periods equal or exceeding the maximum sentence for the accused crime. Authorities sometimes lost case files, leaving suspects incarcerated indefinitely.”
Minimum Wage Erosion
The US also warned that the N70,000 minimum wage introduced in 2024 had been effectively wiped out by currency depreciation, pegging the wage at just $47.90 per month with the naira trading above ₦1,500/$1. It added that most Nigerian workers were excluded from the increase because they are employed in small firms or in the informal sector.
Child Rights Concerns
The report raised alarms over child marriage, noting that while federal law sets 18 as the minimum age, enforcement remains weak in many northern states, with some children as young as 11 still entering marriages under religious or customary laws.
Presidency Pushes Back
Reacting, Presidential spokesman Sunday Dare insisted the government is making progress in tackling insecurity, reforming the judiciary, and stabilising the economy.
“Our judicial system continues to address concerns about lengthy pre-trial periods. Several judicial reforms are underway,” Dare said, citing a national summit on justice convened by President Tinubu in 2024.
On security, he stressed that US officials themselves had recently commended Nigeria for arresting two leaders of the Ansaru terrorist group. “It’s a validation of the efforts being made internally and externally,” he said.
Dare added that the economy is already “undergoing a recalibration,” pointing to early gains in macroeconomic indicators and a stabilising naira.
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