LOCKDOWN: Security agencies committed 209 human rights’ violations; Imo, Enugu top list — NHRC By Johnbosco Agbakwuru, Abuja THE Nation...
By Johnbosco Agbakwuru, Abuja
THE National Human Rights Commission, NHRC, has said that police and other security agencies engaged in human rights violations including extortion during the lockdown to contain the spread of coronavirus.
The commission has said that the only way to ensure that such violations did not continue is by bringing those found culpable of any infractions to justice.
The Deputy Director, Monitoring, NHRC, Mr. Richmond Iheme, who stated this while speaking to Sunday Vanguard, said that the curtailment of human rights has to be just and reasonable for public good and to the extent necessary in a democratic society.
Mr. Iheme observed that the first phase of lockdown of two weeks recorded more human rights violations than the second phase and the one week extension, adding that the outcry and condemnation of such infractions may have contributed to the reduction in subsequent phase.
He recalled that about 105 human rights violations were reported within two weeks of the first phase of the lockdown period monitored and documented by the commission, while the second phase of another two weeks and the next extension by one week recorded 104 human rights violations were reported across the country, totalling 209 infractions.
“Various factors may account for it. You will recall that after release of the first report by the National Human Rights Commission where extra judicial killings mainly were reported against law enforcement agencies besides other violations; there was so much public outcry, so much condemnation against such infractions, and unlawful killings by security agencies who ought to indeed protect lives. There was so much condemnation that trailed the release of that first report”, the official said.
“Following that, expectedly the high command of the various security agencies had a responsibility to call their officers to order and they seem to have done that as was shown in their conduct during the second phase of enforcing the lockdown. . “So, calling to order of the security agencies by their high command seems to have resulted in the seeming reduction in the violations recorded during the second phase, besides the condemnation that followed the release of the first phase of the report.”
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On why Enugu and Imo were said to have recorded the highest number of violations by security agencies, Mr. Iheme attributed it to the excessive use of force in the affected areas.
He said, “ It shows the pattern of the violations that had occurred in these places and indeed in other parts of the Federation and you will see that incidents of excessive or disproportionate use of force, torture, inhuman and degrading treatment, seizure and confiscation of property, arrest and unlawful detention extortion, were high in those states
“People who flouted the ‘stay at home order’ were arrested and extorted. People were also detained and extorted before they were released. These account to the pattern of violation you find in Enugu, Imo as well as other places.”
He noted that the Police were mainly implicated in these infractions, adding that what the commission was canvassing was to ensure accountability in law enforcement.
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