The Committee for the Defence of Human Rights (CDHR) was formed in April, 1989. It started as a small group of professionals, individuals, friends and associates who felt concerned about the detention of the then trade unionist, Mr Femi Aborishade, who was incarcerated in 1989 under the obnoxious State Security (Preventive Detention) Decree No. 2 of 1984.

The group then known as the Free Femi Aborishade Committee was formed to campaign for the release of Mr Aborishade from custody. However, owing to the fact that many Nigerians were also being detained under the said Decree while the campaign for his release was on, wisdom dictated that an umbrella body be formed to defend, not only the right of the detainees to liberty, but also the Fundamental Human Rights of all Nigerians on a permanent basis. Thus the Committee for the Defence of Human Rights (CDHR) emerged and blossomed into a full-fledged rights platform.