Nigeria: NHRC Raises the Alarm Over Mental Health Abuses, Says Less Than 3% Covered By Insurance

What the report says

The National Human Rights Commission in Nigeria has warned that people living with mental health conditions are facing stigma, abuse and major gaps in access to care. In remarks tied to World Mental Health Day in Abuja, the commission said fewer than 3% of Nigerians with mental health conditions are covered by health insurance, leaving many families to shoulder treatment costs on their own.

According to the report published by This Day and carried by AllAfrica, the NHRC said it has seen cases involving children and adults with psychosocial disabilities who were kept in solitary confinement in Kano State. It also described a case in the Federal Capital Territory in which a child was rescued from a woman living in what the commission called an extremely distressing and inhuman condition connected to her mental state. The agency said these examples show that mental health problems can become human rights violations when care, protection and oversight are absent.

NHRC Executive Secretary Tony Ojukwu called for stronger government action, including more funding for mental healthcare, wider insurance coverage, and better enforcement of laws protecting affected people. He said mental health should be treated as both a medical and human rights issue. He also urged expansion of community-based services, more trained professionals and closer oversight of facilities to prevent neglect and unlawful confinement.

The commission noted that Nigeria has a National Mental Health Act and related policy frameworks, but said their impact depends on implementation. As general background, mental health advocates often stress that legal reforms alone do not improve care unless they are matched by funding, workforce support and public education.