The Federal Government has reiterated its commitment to support the National Human Rights Commission, NHRC, to establish offices nationwide to strengthen its independence in protecting the rights of citizens.

The Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Mr. Lateef Fagbemi, said at the official inauguration of the NHRC Lagos office, in Ikeja, yesterday.

He said: "The inauguration of the Lagos State Office which further entrenches the operational independence of the commission is a bold statement by the Federal Government to support the commission to protect the rights of Nigerians.

"The Federal Government will support the commission in its efforts to own its offices nationwide to further entrench its independence and strengthen its strive to protect the rights of Nigerians.

Dr Tony Ojukwu (SAN), the Executive Secretary of NHRC, described the inauguration as the first of its kind since he assumed office in April 2018 and the inauguration of the Governing Council in August 2021.

Ojukwu said the commission had identified the ownership of its office as one of the indices of its independence under the Paris Principle from inception.

He disclosed that the commission had resorted to renting of offices as a stop-gap measure nationwide due to the increasing need to address complaints of human rights violations.

He, however, stressed the need to continue the effort to own its structure to ensure regular uninterrupted services to the people in order to get back on track to sustain its accreditation ad independent National Human Rights Institution.

"It is the appeal of the commission that the National Assembly and the Budget Office could appropriate more funds to help the commission further realise its mandate to provide adequate protection to Nigerians when their rights are violated," he said.