The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has warned the security and law enforcement agencies in Nigeria to desist from subjecting Citizens or other foreigners living in the Country to any form of torture, inhuman and degrading treatment or punishment in the course of their investigations.
It noted that such ugly practices are tantamount to individuals taking laws into their hands considering the fact that in this modern era, there are numerous national, regional and international legal instruments that strongly prohibit such errant acts.
The Executive Secretary of the Commission, Dr. Tony Ojukwu OFR, SAN who made this statement while reacting to a widely circulated video of a middle aged man who was commanded to strip himself naked in the full glare of some security operatives.
In the video which has gone viral, the victim made a confessional statement admitting that he disguises as a woman while dancing to attract attention for monetary rewards.
The Chief Human Rights Officer said that while the law enforcement personnel are mandated to carry out their duties including investigations, they must conform to the extant laws and regulations which of course do not confer on them any form of authority to administer unethical treatment on any suspect.
According to the Executive Secretary, what played out in the video is a demonstration of the fact that some of our security personnel are either ignorant of the laws governing their operations or are deliberately indulging in abuse of Office. Unfortunately none of these can suffice as an excuse or exonerate any culprits in this regard.
The Chief Accounting Officer of the NHRC cited Section 34(1) of the Nigeria Constitution which provides that “every Nigerian individual is entitled to respect for the dignity of his person and accordingly (a) No person shall be subjected to torture or to inhuman or degrading treatment”.
Similarly, he brought to mind Article 10 of the International Convention on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) which states that all persons deprived of their liberty shall be treated with humanity and respect for the inherent dignity of human person.
Dr. Ojukwu is therefore using this opportunity to call on the various authorities in the security sector to set up internal monitoring mechanisms to fish out the bad eggs and forestall any excesses from the law enforcement agents under their jurisdictions.
Against the foregoing, he stated that the victim in the viral video deserve an apology and that any other measures necessary to ensure that he recovers from the psychological trauma he was made to go through in the course of the unprofessional investigation he was subjected to in the hands of those who are supposed to protect his rights and other members of the public.
