*6,414 arbitrarily arrested, 48,644 experienced gender-based violence, the report stated

The 2021 Human Rights Report on West Africa was on Saturday launched, indicating that no fewer than 9,823 people were unlawfully killed last year.

The report was unveiled by the Human Rights Advancement, Development and Advocacy Centre (HURIDAC) and the African Centre for Democracy and Human Rights Studies (ACDHRS) to commemorate World Human Rights Day, celebrated every December 10.

In the report presented virtually at the launch, it was also revealed that 6,414 people were arbitrarily arrested, 19,973 were tortured or injured, and 48,644 experienced gender-based violence.

On insecurity, the report ranked Nigeria, Niger and Benin Republic as the most unsafe places in terms of respect for human rights, adding that The Gambia is the opposite.

The report highlights the human rights ranking table for compliance index, with Benin Republic leading, followed by Mali receiving the highest scores and Cape Verde receiving the lowest.

The executive director of the HURIDAC, Mr Ayodele Ameen, explained that the report focused on the human rights legal framework in West Africa in 2021, which, according to him, has seen a decline in human rights observance in most West African countries.