BY ANTHONY OCHELA, ABUJA
National Human Rights Commission, NHRC, has frowned at the continuous parading of suspects by the Nigeria Police Force, describing the action as unlawful.
Giving the clarification yesterday, Executive Secretary of the commission, Dr Tony Ojukwu (SAN) said the practice of parading suspects before their trial or conviction amounts to a gross violation of their fundamental rights as enshrined in the 1999 Constitution (as amended), which presumes a person to be innocent until pronounced otherwise by a law court.
Speaking at an inter-agency consultative workshop on the implementation of the National Action Plan, NAP, for the promotion and protection of human rights held in Abuja, Ojukwu noted that the Federal Executive Council, FEC, had in April 2023 approved the Nigerian National Action Plan for the promotion and protection of human rights in the country.
The executive secretary said NHRC had been unwavering in its call for an end to the parade of suspects and have also resolved to commence a nationwide campaign against it.
“NAP is not just a document; it is a strategic roadmap for integrating human rights into governance, policy-making and institutional framework.
“It serves as a strategic framework to audit, improve and monitor human rights through collaboration among government, civil society and other national and international stakeholders.
“The development of NAP involves extensive consultations with MDAs and the civil society, led by NHRC. Its focus is to address gaps, promote, protect and enforce human rights in compliance with national and global human rights standards.
“The essence of today’s workshop is to activate the implementation framework of NAP by bringing together, key stakeholders across government agencies, civil society and development partners.
“We recognise that effective implementation requires a coordinated, multi-sectoral and inter-agency approach to ensure that the principles enshrined in the NAP translate into concrete actions that impact the lives of all Nigerians,” the NHRC boss said.
Also speaking, Chairman of the Police Service Commission, PSC, Mr Solomon Arase reiterated the commission’s stance against human rights violations, particularly the public display of suspects.
Arase, a former Inspector-General of Police, IGP, said parading suspects is against the law and campaigns against it must be strengthened.
On his part, Executive Director of Policy and Legal Advocacy Center, PLAC, Mr Clement Nwankwo also called for an end to the use of torture by security agencies to extract confessional statement from accused persons.
He also commended NHRC for its decision to kickstart the campaign against illegal parading of suspects.
In her goodwill message, the Deputy High Commissioner, British High Commission, Gill Lever described human rights as the corner stone in any just and fair society.
She emphasised the need for citizens to always hold their elected leaders accountable at all times.
