NHRC child abandonment Gombe cases top rights violations in 2025 as commission urges fathers to take responsibility

The National Human Rights Commission has raised serious concern over the growing cases of fathers abandoning their children in Gombe State, describing the trend as the most reported rights violation in 2025.

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Speaking in Gombe on Thursday, the commission’s spokesman, Ali Alola-Alfinti, disclosed that 96 complaints relating to paternal abandonment were recorded among the 285 rights violation cases received by the NHRC in the state during the year.

The figure places NHRC child abandonment Gombe cases at the top of reported violations.

Alola-Alfinti said the commission also documented 59 cases of inhumane and degrading treatment, 36 complaints on the right to property and 16 cases involving denial of access to justice.

He added that 14 cases bordered on alleged threats to life, while six were related to child custody disputes.

According to him, 256 of the reported cases were treated and concluded in collaboration with relevant government agencies, in line with their statutory mandates.

He noted that the remaining cases had already been addressed in 2026.

The spokesman stressed that parental neglect, particularly by fathers, amounted to a clear violation of children’s rights. He warned that abandoning children undermined their access to education, healthcare and overall welfare.

Alola-Alfinti said the NHRC child abandonment Gombe figures had begun to decline following sustained engagement with community leaders and other critical stakeholders across the state.

He described the intervention as a powerful step towards accountability and social responsibility.

He emphasised that fathers were legally and morally obliged to cater for the wellbeing of their children, noting that failure to do so could expose children to lasting psychological harm.

Such effects, he explained, often include low self esteem, depression, anxiety and behavioural problems such as delinquency or substance abuse.

The NHRC official appealed to parents to prioritise the protection and proper upbringing of their children, urging families to ensure that children’s educational and health needs were met.

He revealed that in 2023, the commission recorded 106 cases of fathers abandoning their children in Gombe, while the number rose to 127 in 2024.

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The latest data, he said, underscored the urgency for sustained advocacy and enforcement to curb the disturbing trend highlighted by NHRC child abandonment Gombe reports.