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Nigeria Police Chief Tells Officials To Uphold Human Rights

Police officials in Nigeria have been asked to ensure that the rights of Nigerians and all residents are upheld and sustained. The Inspector General of … Continue reading Nigeria Police Chief Tells Officials To Uphold Human Rights


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Suleiman Abba.Police officials in Nigeria have been asked to ensure that the rights of Nigerians and all residents are upheld and sustained.

The Inspector General of Police (IGP), Mr Suleiman Abba, gave the command in Commemoration of the International Human Rights Day 2014 and as further proof of his commitment to respecting the rights of Nigerians.

The police chief further stated that a poignant example of his administration’s commitment to upholding Human Rights was the recent launch of the Nigeria Police Force Human Rights Practice Manual.

The document was produced with support from Altus Global Alliance, Department of Foreign International Development (DFID), Cleen Foundation, Justice for All Nigeria (J4A) and theEmbassy of Switzerland, Abuja.

A statement by the spokesman for the police, Mr Emmanuel Ojukwu, said the Human Rights Practice Manual was a legacy of IGP Abba-led Police Management Team and the Force’s unflinching resolve to expose all personnel of the Nigeria Police Force to practical and theoretical aspects of Human Rights based approaches to policing in conformity with global best practices.

After the launch of the Human Rights Manual a Human Rights Desk was created to be manned by officers in all the formations of the Nigeria Police Force.

The Desk Officers are tasked with ensuring that rights of suspects are protected and cared for.

The IGP further emphasised his commitment to walking the talk in observance of the Human Rights of all Nigerians irrespective of class, creed and tongue.

A rights group, Amnesty International had accused the Nigerian police of extra judicial killings and series of Human rights abuses.

Although the police dismissed the claims, it claims that the reforms it is putting in place will help address the issues of Human Rights abuses.

The reforms are in line with this year’s Human Rights Day slogan, “Human Rights 365”, which states that every day is a Human Rights Day and they are aimed at upholding the fundamental proposition in the Human Rights Declaration that all humans, everywhere at all times are entitled to the full range of Human Rights.

The Police High Command further expressed its commitment to protecting Human Rights and to doing all that is humanly possible within the confines of established constitutional means, to ensure that the rights remained inviolable as enshrined in the 1999 Constitution and in conformity with the ECOWAS, AU and the United Nations Declarations on Human Rights.