Collins Osuji
7 October 2008
Lagos — HUMAN rights activists in Lagos State have flayed the massive demolition of structures by Governor Babatunde Fashola's administration, describing it as inhuman, and uncultured.
Speaking at the inauguration of the Mushin unit of Committee for the Defence of Human Rights (CDHR), the group's co-ordinator in Mushin, Comrade Patrick Okeke, urged Nigerians to take seriously the demolition exercise, noting that it violated the individual rights of Lagosians.
Okeke said, "in as much as we are not so much bothered with the Lagos State government law on demolition of illegal structures, it is germane I draw the attention of the national and state officers of this organisation to the inhuman, uncultured and sadistic attitude of the teams that executed the exercise. They pour acid on injuries
"Human Rights Practice in Nigeria: The Score Card of Nigeria Police", lamented that the Nigeria Police have lost integrity in the discharge of their duties due to corruption.
"Our police is one of the best in Africa in this area (investigation of complaints) but unfortunately, the corruption that pervades the force does not allow members of the force to carry out this task without bias. "Our investigation police officers and other detectives see their work as an avenue to enrich themselves", he stated.
Orjiako, a lawyer called for urgent reforms in the Nigeria police to flush out the bad eggs, adding that the government should licence private and human rights bodies to prosecute cases.
Earlier in his opening remarks, the chairman of the occasion, Dr. Fabode Fasade, a pioneer member of the organisation urged Nigerians to fight for their rights amidst the prevalence human rights abuses in the country.
"There cannot be justice, fairness and equality of persons in the country when individual's rights are been infringed upon. Nigerians should therefore, resist the anomaly, we should fight for our rights," he said.
Also, the Lagos State chairman of CDHR, Comrade Adesegun Aloba said that the high rate of human rights abuses particularly in Lagos State has strengthened CDHR to fight for the rights of the masses, while urging the victims of rights abuse to see "for redress.
The CDHR Mushin Unit officers who were inaugurated at the event are Com. Patrick Okeke, the Unit Co-ordinator; Com. Felix Okoh, the secretary and Com. Jude Chukwunyere Adumekwe, the treasurer.
Other dignitaries at the event include Chief Samuel Olakunle Lawal Arowooye, Baale Alagboji Papa-Ajao, Mushin; Dr. Mrs. Ifeoma Okwushi, a former Action Congress (AC) aspirant; Chief Emeka Orjiako, Managing Director of Superior Papers Nig. Ltd.
Be the first to Write a Comment!
Copyright © 2008 Daily Champion. All rights reserved. Distributed by AllAfrica Global Media (allAfrica.com). To contact the copyright holder directly for corrections — or for permission to republish or make other authorized use of this material, click here.
AllAfrica aggregates and indexes content from over 125 African news organizations, plus more than 200 other sources, who are responsible for their own reporting and views. Articles and commentaries that identify allAfrica.com as the publisher are produced or commissioned by AllAfrica.
