. . . Hail NHRC, partners for exploits

By TINA TIMOTHY, Lagos

The Joint Body of the Southeast Council of Traditional Rulers and Representatives of Igbo Archbishops and Bishops on Peace and Reconciliation has applauded the Independent Investigative Panels established by the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) and its partners who worked so hard “to investigate thousands of complaints of human rights violations by the defunct Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) to provide justice and reparations to victims and their families aiming to restore their dignity, physical and mental wellbeing, and social independence.”

It gave the kudos in a statement to mark the 74th anniversary of the Universal Declaration on Human Rights (UDHR), on December 10, 2022, and signed by Chairman, Anambra State Traditional Rulers Council H.M. Obi Nnaemeka Achebe; Methodist Archbishop of Umuahia, Most Rev. Dr. Chibuzo R. Opoko; Chairman, Enugu State Traditional Rulers Council, H.M. Igwe Amb L. O. C. Agubuzu; and Catholic Archbishop of Onitsha, Most Rev. Dr. Valerian M. Okeke. The group affirmed that “every one of us is born with inalienable rights to Dignity, Freedom, and Justice.”

The statement partly reads: “On this 74th anniversary of the Universal Declaration on Human Rights (UDHR) which was adopted by the United Nations General Assembly on 10th December 1948, we assert the paramount importance of respect for the inherent dignity of all humans in our traditions and religions. We declare that, shaped in the image of our creator, by God’s own hands, the minds, spirits, and bodies of all Nigerians are sacrosanct, and every one of us is born with inalienable rights to Dignity, Freedom, and Justice.

“We congratulate the Independent Investigative Panels established by the National Human Rights Commission who have laboured tirelessly for two years to investigate thousands of complaints of human rights violations by the defunct Special Anti-Robbery Squad to provide justice and reparations to victims and their families aiming to restore their dignity, physical and mental wellbeing, and social independence.

“We welcome the recent report published by the National Human Rights Commission and its partners: the Prisoners Rehabilitation and Welfare Action (PRAWA) and the International Rehabilitation Council for Torture Victims (IRCT) titled: “Nigeria: The end of impunity,” highlighting the widespread and systematic, yet indiscriminate use of torture against Nigerians of every background. We support the report’s recommendations:

“To provide all survivors of torture with medical care to address continuing physical injuries and to ensure access to appropriate therapeutic services to address psychological and emotional trauma;

“To provide victims and their families with livelihoods support in the form of financial as well as educational, capacity, and social programmes as an important component of psychological and socio-economic healing and the restoration of dignity and independence;

“To provide financial compensation to victims and families to address injuries suffered as well as loss of past and future earnings;

“To ensure that the public apologies ordered by the Independent Investigative Panels are promptly issued and followed up by similar statements by high-ranking public officials sending a clear message that torture will not be tolerated; and

“To provide legal and other support to victims for the filing of complaints regarding torture and ill-treatment and the violation of their other human rights and ensure effective investigation and prosecution of perpetrators.”

The group further enjoins the state and federal governments to act on the report of the investigative panels and urged state panels that were yet to submit their reports to do so without further delay and also ensure that all such reports were made public to serve as deterrent to other officers and redeem the dignity of the victims.

The statement continues: “We strongly urge federal and state agencies to implement the decisions and recommendations of the National Human Rights Commission and the Independent Investigative Panels, including to provide just compensation to victims, as well as in dismissing, demoting, and prosecuting responsible officers.

“We urge all State Panels that are yet to submit their reports to urgently do so. All the reports should be made available to the public. We also call for urgent and full implementation of the recommendations of the federal and state panels. The implementation of the recommendations should also be effectively monitored.

“The Joint Body is of the view that the issue of holding our law enforcement/security agencies accountable through mechanisms such as the independent investigative panels should be a continuous process and not ad hoc. We should all work collectively to end impunity. Greater burden is on the government to actualise this.”

The Joint Body, while urging that investigations to examine the cause of past and present violations of human rights should be a continuous one, also suggested that collaboration of the NHRC and its supporting agencies was the way forward and pledged to continue its contribution towards these efforts, adding that “with God’s will, we are confident that all Nigerians will come together to live in peace and unity.”

The statement added: “We encourage continuing efforts by the National Human Rights Commission and both state and federal Independent Investigative Panels to examine the causes of past and present violations of human rights, including torture, and to take and recommend concrete steps to provide reparations to all victims and prevent future atrocities.

“In conclusion, joint efforts of the National Human Rights Commission, the Independent Investigative Panels, Nigerian and International civil societies, relevant government agencies, together with diplomatic partners, should be renewed and intensified to collectively foster human rights compliance, sound development and the end of impunity.

“We recognize that collaboration is the way forward to ensure the dignity, freedom, and equitable justice of all humans in our traditions and religions. The Joint Body pledges to continue to contribute towards these efforts for the good of our people. With God’s will, we are confident that all Nigerians will come together to live in peace and unity.”