Hassan A. SaliuSolomon I. IfekijaAliu, Fatima O.2024-04-242024-04-2420182682-6062https://uilspace.unilorin.edu.ng/handle/123456789/12701The prolonged military rule in Nigeria left an appalling human rights record for the country. The period saw gross violations of human rights at extreme degrees, a situation that became a source of great concern to both Nigerians and the rest of the worlds. it was in fact an era of systematic state-sponsored pattern of human rights abuse. The patterns of human rights violations in those days resultantly gave rise to various mass movement that challenged the long-seated military rule demanding a handover of political power to civilians. The paper employs the documentary methods of date collection and analysis, while the Social Contract Theory provided the basic framework for the explanation.enDemocracyHuman RightsMilitary RuleFourth RepublicNigeriaArticle