Nigeria’s post-independence history portrays frequent incidents of human rights violations. This study examines human rights violations in Nigeria between 1985 and 2007 and their implications for national security. The study based on information derived from both primary and secondary sources examined the nature, context and dynamics of human rights violations in the period under review, their sources and implications for national security in Nigeria. The study revealed that the records of human rights violations were overwhelming under the military regimes of Babangida and Abacha. Even in the democratic rule under Obasanjo administration the records were not significantly different. The major ways the human rights were severely attacked in the period under review included, arbitrary arrest, detention without trial, torture, poor prison administration, extra-judicial killings, such as assassinations, environmental degradation, death penalty, avoidable accidents on the road and air, and other inhuman and degrading treatments.