Citizen Commons has called on governments in Nigeria and other countries to strengthen their legal instruments for protection of human rights.
The nonprofit, which encourages active citizenry, made the call as the world marked the 2021 International Human Rights Day on 10 December, 2021.
Data from the U.S. Department of State 2020 Country Report shows that significant human rights abuses were committed in Nigeria by both state and non-state actors.
In another report, Amnesty International (AI), in its 2020 study of the west African country, noted that Nigerian authorities repressed human rights, including the rights to freedom of expression, peaceful assembly and freedom of movement.
The report also said that security forces committed grave human rights violations, including torture and other ill-treatment, and the use of excessive force which, sometimes, resulted in unlawful killings.
Similarly, the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) documented 105 complaints of human rights violations between March and mid-April 2020.
The NHRC noted the use of excessive force perpetrated by security forces in 24 of Nigeria’s 36 states and its Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
‘In days like this, we are reminded that our world is not a just world, and hundreds of millions of people from the #globalsouth are denied of the rights and freedoms enshrined in the principles of the #UniversalDeclarationOfHumanRights’, Citizen Commons said in a Facebook post.
‘We urge the governments, policymakers to commit to do better, creating appropriate legal instruments and sanctions that encourage improvements of human rights values at local, regional and global levels.
‘From villages to urban centres, our world can be better when rights are respected and the citizens are empowered to enjoy their respective freedoms without fear’.
Citizen Commons also noted that fundamental rights and freedoms remain the bedrock of democracy and urged authorities to respect all human rights.
Source: Citizens Commons International
Photo source: Needpix
