The NBA Chairperson, Enugu Branch, Charles Nwagbara, spoke on Wednesday during an exclusive interview with PREMIUM TIMES.
The Chairperson of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Enugu Branch, Charles Nwagbara, says President Bola Tinubu must adopt multiple measures to curb rising human rights abuses in Nigeria.
Mr Nwagbara, a lawyer, who spoke in an exclusive interview with PREMIUM TIMES on Wednesday, said human rights abuses had reached a "worrisome stage" in the country.
Amendment of rules
The NBA chairperson said, as a first step towards tackling human rights abuses in the country, Mr Tinubu must facilitate an amendment of the 2011 Fundamental Rights Enforcement Procedure Rules.
"The reasons for the amendment is to make sure that different and new dimensions of human rights abuses are captured in the rules," he said.
Empowering NHRC
The Nigeria government, in 1995, established the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) to promote, protect human rights in the country, monitor rights abuses, assist victims, and help in the formulation of government's policies on human rights.
The law establishing the NHRC was amended in 2010 to accommodate quasi-judicial powers to summon persons, acquire evidence, award compensation and enforce decisions.
Mr Nwagbara said the commission should be empowered by the government to improve their operation.
"I think more effort should be made to empower them (NHRC) to increase their capability in fighting human rights abuses," he said.
"They have offices in all states, but I will suggest that their offices be opened at the local government areas so that they can be easily accessed by the downtrodden or the low-income earners," the chairperson stated.
He contended that human rights abuses were mainly committed by the law enforcement agencies, including personnel of the Nigeria Police, the military and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission.
Reviving human rights desks
The lawyer recalled that human rights desks were established in various police divisional headquarters due to the rise in the number of rights violations in the past.
"But the extent to which they were used, to me, does not match with the reason for establishing them in the first place. So, much more needs to be done on that," he said, adding that such human rights desks should also be established in all the law enforcement agencies.
Mr Nwagbara criticised some police officers whom he accused of consistently abusing rights of people, stressing that the officers and other law enforcement agents should be frequently enlightened on the need to respect the rights of citizens.
Arbitrary arrest in South-east
In recent years, there has been a battle between Nigeria's security agencies, mainly the police and members of the outlawed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), a group agitating for an independent state of Biafra for the Igbo-speaking people of the South-east Nigeria.
A PREMIUM TIMES' investigation in 2022 revealed that the security agencies, particularly, the military, engaged in arbitrary arrest and killing of unarmed residents whom they tagged IPOB members.
Mr Nwagbara said the fact that the military and police had "suffered serious casualties" from IPOB attacks may have "interfered with the way" they ought to have conducted themselves to avoid human rights abuses.
"Assuming this was not the situation, the police or the army may not have reason to think about arresting people (arbitrarily) let alone not allowing them to have counsel of their choice," he said.
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He regretted that some officers and military personnel act "in panic and unprofessionally, abandoning the proper procedures" in their operations due to the rising attacks against them by the suspected IPOB members.
The lawyer, however, urged security agencies not to engage in arbitrary arrest and execution of suspected IPOB members, pointing out that presumption of innocence of suspects was guaranteed by the law until they are convicted in the court of law.
"But at the same time, because they belong to a profession, where they have received training, they should always be on their guard and allow good reasoning to prevail in their actions," he urged.
"Orientation is the key to change the mindset of the law enforcement agents. Every law required to make them do the right thing is in place. We have enough laws regulating the conduct of the police and others. So, what we need to be doing is orientation."
