ENUGU, Nigeria (VOICE OF NAIJA)- The CLEEN Foundation, formally known as Centre for Law Enforcement and Education), has regretted the continued records of human rights violation especially by security forces in their various operations while carrying out their mandates.
To this regards, CLEEN in partnership with the National Human Rights Commission and support of the Open Society Foundations, has organized a Capacity Building on Human Rights Documentation and Management for oversight agencies in Nigeria, as there is increase violation of human rights in Nigeria, since the military regime down to the democratic dispensation.
CLEEN Foundation is established with the mission of promoting public safety, security and accessible justice through the strategies of empirical research, legislative advocacy, demonstration programmes and publications, in partnership with government, civil society and the private sector.
The Programme Manager, CLEEN Foundation, Mrs. Chigozirim Okoro, made this known at a two-day Capacity Building Workshop for Police Oversight Agencies on Human Rights Documentation and Management, in Enugu State on Wednesday.
Mrs. Okoro informed that the training holds in the South-East, South-West; South-South, North-East, North-West, and North-Central, Nigeria.
She said the Foundation observed that the oversight bodies have not demonstrated the needed capacity to effectively manage rights violations and use the data to hold security agencies accountable for actions and inactions.
The oversight agencies include; National Human Rights Commission, Police Service Commission, the Complaint Response Unit of the Nigeria Police Force, Public Complaint Commission and Civil Society Organizations on the Human Rights Management Information System.
This comes as CLEEN begins the implementation of a Project titled “Improving Security Sector Accountability and Human Rights Compliance in Countering Violent Extremism” in Nigeria.
She noted that the essence of the training is to strengthen the capacity of oversight agencies to effectively collate, verify, document, manage and follow-up on human rights violations by or against security forces in Nigeria.
Also, to improve the capacity of oversight agencies in collection, verification, reportage, documentation and follow-up actions on human rights related complaints in Nigeria
The training, according to her, is targeted also at teaching the agencies the use the data for advocacy, accountability, investigation, prosecution and follow-up actions by stakeholders.
She said: “Globally, there have been records of human rights violation especially by security forces in their various operations to carry out their mandates.
“The media has reported degrees of right violations including reports of credible organizations that monitor and document cases of rights violations in different countries of the world. It includes right to life, freedom of movement, freedom of association and assembly, freedom from torture et al.
“Nigeria has witnessed her own share of human rights violations from the military regime down to the democratic dispensations due to internal security operations and the fight against insurgency on-going in the country.
“Based on antecedent, documentation and reports by civil society and development partners, it is observed that the government oversight bodies have not demonstrated the needed capacity to effectively manage rights violations and use the data to hold security agencies accountable for actions and inactions.
“The overall aim of the training is to strengthen the capacity of oversight agencies to effectively collate, verify, document, manage and follow-up on human rights violations by or against security forces in Nigeria and use the data for advocacy, accountability, investigation, prosecution and follow-up actions by stakeholders.”
Meanwhile, the targeted audience of the training are one hundred and sixty-five professionals drawn from the National Human Rights Commission, Police Service Commission, Ministries of Police Affairs and Interior, the IGP Monitoring and Complaint Response Units of the Nigeria Police Force, Public Complaint Commission, SERVICOM and Civil Society Organizations.