CEHRD CONDEMNS INCREASING HUMAN RIGHT VIOLATIONS; SEEKS PROTECTION OF RIGHTS OF CITIZENS

The Centre for Environment, Human Rights and Development (CEHRD) joins the rest of the global community to commemorate the World Human Rights Day, and urged the government of Nigeria to discourage all actions which violates rights of persons in the country.

The theme for this year’s world human rights day is: ‘Human Rights 365; emphasising the fundamental proposition in the Universal Declaration that each one of us, everywhere, at all times is entitled to the full range of human rights, that human rights belong equally to each of us and bind us together as a global community with the same ideals and values.

Although, the Nigerian Constitution prohibits torture and other ill treatment, there are still hard facts and figures showing that violation of rights of persons is still perpetuated. This undermines the integrity of our dear nation being signatory to numerous international human right protocols.

According to Amnesty International – Facts and Figures (September 2014), it is estimated that 5,000 persons have been detained and tortured since 2009.  Also worthy of note is the non-implementation of the seven (7) international protocols banning torture, which Nigeria is party to. It will be recalled the Nigeria, for 2 years still has a pending legislation in the parliament which criminalise torture. The presence of officers in charge of Torture (O/C Torture), in some Nigerian police station is a dent on our image as a nation. In the interest of the nation's integrity, CEHRD cautions ill-practices (torture) and other crude methods of investigation which violates citizens’ fundamental human rights. These practices remain illegal and contrary to constitutional procedures.

CEHRD notes with sadness that in the face of increasing violations of fundamental human rights, the government seems not to be doing enough to stem the tide. Government holds it as its constitutional responsibility to protect the ‘weak’ from those who wield ‘absolute power’ and taking undue advantage of their position. It should be noted that Nigerians on a daily basis experience torture, which takes different forms. such as- beating, rape, starvation, forceful eviction, electric shocks, choking with ropes, water torture, gun butts, rod and cables, forceful extraction of finger and toe nails with pliers, hanging of detainees upside down for hours; using their feet, and so on.

CEHRD strongly condemns the increasing negligence on the path of government and its organs for lack of responsiveness to acts and actions which amounts to violation of human rights. By allowing torture to go unabated, the Nigerian government is breaching its agreement under the African Charter on Human and Peoples Rights, International Nation Convention against torture and the optional protocol to the convention against torture, International convention for the protection of all persons from enforced disappearance, convention on the elimination of all forms of discrimination against women, convention on the rights of the child, the International Convention on Civil and Political Rights, and the Geneva Conventions-Common article 3, and the Second Additional Protocol.

Government should stop the violation of human rights in all its agencies as well as bring to book culprits of these acts. Our legislators at all levels should quickly pass into law the long awaited bill criminalising torture in Nigeria, as failure to do this, amounts to mortgaging the safety of our children to institutionalised violation of human rights.