HUMANRI

GHTS,
DUTI
ESANDOBLI
GATI
ONS

Meani
ngofFundament
alRi
ght
s

Fundament alri
ghtsarerightsandf r
eedomst owhi challhumansar eenti
tl
edbyr eason
ofbei nghuman.Humanr ight
sar enat uralgif
tsf rom ourmaker ,God,tomanki nd.
Howev er,thereisnouni versalconsensusonwhati npar t
icularshouldconstit
uteornot
ber egar dedashumanr ightsacrosst hegl obe.Fundament alRightsarei nali
enable
benefitsani ndi
vidualenj
oy sasal egalmemberofaSt ate.Theyar ebasicthingsthata
ci
tizenshoul denj oy,ifonlyhecl aimst hem.Fundament alri
ghts( humanr ight
s)ar e
otherwi secal l
edcivill
i
berties.Theyareal solegal
lysanctionedclaimsofci t
izenswhi ch
areusual l
yenshr inedint heconst i
tut
ionofaSt ate.AccordingtoFawehi nmi( 1992),
humanr ightsarepot entweaponscapabl eofsensi ti
zi
ngt hepopul ace,weakeningt he
autocraticandput t
ingt heciti
zenr
yont hepat hoff reedom f r
om t heshackl esof
oppressi on.To him agai n,(2000)
,f undament alri
ghtsar et oolsofknowi ng one' s
boundar y,holdit,withavi ew topreventi
ngunnecessar ytransgression.Asviewedby
Falana( 1998)fundament alri
ghtsar
emassesweaponagai nstunnecessar yhar
assment ,
assault,defamation,detenti
onand/orconvi ct
ion.Thus,f
undament alrightsar
ev erit
able
i
nst r
umentsofsel f
-gui
de,theabsenceofwhi chmadeanindiv
idualaspi
nel
essand
toothl
esscit
izen.Withoutf
undamentalri
ghts,nobodyi
scapabl
eofclai
mingawhole
being;hei
sasl iv
ingasdead.Someoft her i
ghtscanal
sobeenj
oyedbynon–human
beingsuchascompani esorcor
poratei
nsti
tuti
ons.

Or
igi
nofHumanRi
ght
s

Although, humanr i
ght sact i
v i
sm hasbeenpar tofwest ernandt raditi
onalAfrican
culture.I tisnei t
heranewcr eationnoramoder ninvention.Thehi storyofhumanr ights
i
sdat edt ot heaf t
ermathoft heSecondWor ldasar esponset oHol ocaustcul minat i
ng
i
ni tsadopt i
onbyt heUniversalDecl ar at
ionofHumanRi ghts.Besi des,thechallengeof
war ,genoci de,insti
tut
ionalslaver y,theNazi( Ger many )attitudet owar dstheJewsand
otheri nhumant reatmentsofment omengav er i
set ohumanr i
ghtsst ruggl
e.Inot her
wor ds,consequencesofsl avery,inhumant reatmentandabuseofpowerl edtot hepr e
th
– emi nence ofhuman r i
ghts adv ocacy .Howev er,t he 18 cent ury human r ights
mov ementwasonl ytoexpandt hecont extandr ecogni tionofr ights,li
bert
iesand
t
h
freedom f orev erybody.The18 cent uryhumanr i
ghtsst ruggleaswel lgav eri
set ot he
Amer icanDecl arati
onofIndependenceandFr enchDecl arationofr i
ghtsofman.I twas
themov ementt hatlaterledt ot headopt i
onoft he1948Uni versalDeclarati
onHuman
Right s, UDHR.

TheUDHRi
sthusapr
oductofUni
tedNat
ion’
sCommi
ssi
ononHumanRi
ght
s
throughi tsEconomi candSoci alCounci l.Thedr aftwasadopt edbyt heUN Gener al
th
Assembl yr esol
ution217( i
ii
)of10 December ,1948i nPar i
s.TheDecl arati
onwas
passedbyav oteof48i nfav orandnoneagai nstexcept8abst enti
onsandhas375
l
anguagesanddi alect
s,maki ngi tthemostwi del ytransl
ateddocumenti nt hewor l
d.
th
Every10 Decemberi sknownasHumanRi ghtsDayorI nter
nat ionalHumanRi ght
sDay .
TheDayi sal waysobser v
edbyi ndiv
iduals, communi ti
es,rel
igiousgr oups,
humanr ights
organizations,parliament s,gov er
nment sandt heUni tedNat ions.TheUDHRhast hi
rty
(30)Ar t
icles.Arti
cles1t o21cont ainNat ural,CivilandPol i
ticalrights.Art
icles22–27
retai
nEconomi c,Soci alandCul turalr i
ght s.It
sAr ti
cles28– 30pr ovi
def orSocial
responsibi l
i
tiesofindividualsandgov ernmentot her wisecalleddut i
esandobl igati
ons.

HUMANRI
GHTSANDOBLI
GATI
ONS

Everyi ndiv
idualshoul d enjoy unrestr
ained rights and freedoms i na
contempor arypolit
icalsy stem iftheywer et obehappyandl i
veasat i
sfactory
sociall i
fe.Wi thout enjoy ment of t hese basi cr ights,life becomes dul l
,
endanger edanduni nteresting.Theser i
ghtsar erighttolife,fr
eedom ofspeech,
assembl yand mov ement ,ofowner shi
p ofpr operty,education,associ at
ion,
rel
igion;andofv otingandbei ngv otedfor.Howev er
,theser i
ghtsandf r
eedoms
arenotunl i
mitedbecausecer t
ainchecksr et
ardandpr eventthem from been
absolut e.Inotherwor ds,nobodyshoul denj oyhisright
st odisturbothers.

I
nmostdemocr acies,t
heser ight
sandf r
eedomsar eent r
enchedi nthe
stat
econst i
tuti
on.I
nUni tedStatesofAmer i
ca, i
tisknownasBi l
lofRi ghtswhi l
e
i
ti ssafeguardedbycust oms,tradit
ionsandj udi
cialdeci
sionsinBr it
ain.Itis
entr
enchedi nChapterIVoft he1999Const itut
ion(asamended) .Iftheser i
ghts
aretr
ampl edupon,cit
izencant akelegalact
iontoseekredressincourtofl aw.

A ci
ti
zen acr
oss the gl
obe can enjoyeconomic,soci
al,pol
i
ticaland
cult
uralr
ight
s.Forthepurposeofclari
ty,t
heabover i
ghtsar
ebrokendownf or
theemphasisofunderst
andi
ng.

i
. Aci t
izenhasr i
ghttolif
eandbepr otectedagainstunduejusti
ce
i
i
. Humanbei ngisfreefrom compul sorylabor,sl
averyorrenderi
ngof
servicewithoutpayment
i
i
i. Hehasr i
ghtt ober ecruit
edintoanyoft hePoliceForce,Navy ,Ai
r
force,Armyoranyot herparamilit
arywi t
hin his st
ate without
discrimi
nation.
i
v. Itistheri
ghtofallciti
zent ochoosear eli
gionofhischoice
v
. Aci t
izenisalsoenti
tledt owester
norf ormal educati
ontoal evelhe
i
ssodesi red
 v
i. He has fr
eedom tofreel
yassociate and expr
ess hi
s mi
nd or
t
hought
v
ii
. Heisequall
yobl
igedt
oacquir
elegi
timatepropert
y

I
nrecognit
ionoftheaboveci
ti
zenr
yri
ghts,
the1948Univ
ersalDecl
arat
ion
of HumanRi ghtsbyUnit
edNati
onsaresti
lluphel
dandrecogni
zedas
i
nter
nat
ionalaccl
aimedri
ghtsofal
lhumanbei
ngs.

a.Righttof
airhearing
b.Righttol
ifeandsecur it
yofperson
c.Freedom ofmov ement ,associ
ati
onandr
eli
gion
d.Freedom ofexpressionandt hepress
e.Freedom toowner shipofpropert
y
f. Fr
eedom ofeducat i
on.

Theabov
eright
sandf reedomsaregroupedint
oconci
secodi
fi
cat
ion
accor
dingt
oUni
ver
salDecl
arat
ionofHumanRi
ghtsas:

1. NaturalRi ghts:t hesear er ight st hatar eacqui redf rom concept i

onof
manandwomanf rom pr egnancy ,infancyt oadul thood.Asi nal
ienable
andf undament alast heyar e,t heyi ncl uder i
ghtt ol ife,freedom of
expressionwhi chext endst ot hepr ess,r ightt osaf et y,freedom of
thought ,
consci enceandr eligion.
2. Civi
lRi ghts:Thesear er ight sthatdev el opf rom ci vili
zat i
onasar esul
t
ofmoder nity.Thesei ncl uder ight st hatpeopl ear enow enj oyingdue
tochangi ngway sofl ife.Theyi ncl uder i
ghtt omar r
y,ownpr operty
,
peacef ulassembl y,r ightt of reedom f rom di scrimi nat i
on,r i
ghtt o
pri
vacy ,ri
ghtt ocont r
actandequal itybef or et hel aw.
3. Poli
ticalRi ghts:t hesear er ight st obei nv ol vedi npol i
ticalprocesses
ofast at
e,t ov oteandbev otedf or,tof or m associ ationandchoose
l
eader s,rightt opar ti
ci pat ei ndet ermi nat ionofsy stem ofgov ernment
anddeci sionmaki ng.
4. Development Ri ghts:Thi si s ot her wi se cal led ECOSOC Ri ghts
meani ngEconomi c,Soci al andCul tural Ri ght s
(i)Economi cRi ghts:Thesei nv olvedr ightst owor kandbe
commensur abl y pai d,r i
ght t o choose ones t rade or
professi on and par tici
pat ei n cont rol l
ing and managi ng
activit
iesofanat i
on.
(ii
)Soci alRi ght s:Thesecov err i
ghtt of reeeducat i
onatal l
l
ev els,r ightt o good medi calf acili
ties,r i
ghtt o ol d age
upkeep, tosaf ety ,secur ityandwel f areofal lper sons.
 (
ii
i)Cult
uralRights:Thesecovert
her
ight
stopr
act
iceones
r
eli
gionandcultural
expressi
on.

HumanRi
ght
sPr
ovi
sionsi
nNi
ger
ia

TheNi ger
ianconsti
tut
ionr ecogni
zesand pr ot
ectshumanr ight
sf rom
abusebypeopl eorgovernment .Every
body,whetherpoororrich,youngorol d,
si
ckorheal thy,j
ail
edorf r
eed,phy si
call
ychall
engedornot ,cit
izenoral i
enis
enti
tl
edt ohumanr i
ght
saspr ovidedforbytheconsti
tut
ion.Someoft heseright
s
arecapturedinChapterIVoft he1999Const i
tuti
onoft heFeder alRepubl
icof
Niger
ia.Theyare:

(
a)Rightt ol i
fe:Ev er yper sonhasar ightt ol ife,andnooneshal lbe
depr i
vedi ntentional lyofhi sl i
fe, excepti nexecut i
onoft hesent enceof
acour tinr espectofacr i
mi nalof fenceofwhi chhehasbeenf ound
guil
tyi nNi geria.Thi si st hemosti mpor tantofal lrightsbecausei ti s
thef oundat ionuponwhi chot her scanbeenj oy ed.Howev er ,aper son
woul dnotbeconsi der edofbei ngdepr ivedofhi slife:
i
. ifitisf ort hedef enceofanyper sonf rom unl awf ulv i
olenceor
forthedef enceofpr oper ty;
i
i. i
nor dert oef fectal awf ular restort opr ev entt heescapeofa
personl awf ullydet ained; or
i
ii. f orthepur poseofsuppr essi ngar iot,insur rectionormut iny .
(
b)Rightt odi gnityofhumanper son:Thi sr ightpr otect sev eryi ndi vidual
againstt orture,inhumanordegr adingt reat ment ;slav eryorser vitude;
orper formanceoff orcedorcompul soryl abour .Except ionsar el abour
requiredanyper sonasar esultoft hesent enceor derofacour t,bei ng
member sofar medf orcesoft heFeder ation,ser vicet ot henat i
on
during emer genci es or cal ami ti
es, nor mal communal or ci vic
obli
gat ions,compul sorynat ionalwhi chf ormspar toft heeducat i
on
andt rainingofci t
izenofNi geriaasmaybepr escr ibedbyanActoft he
National Assembl y .
(
c)Rightt oper sonall iber t
y:Thi si ndi cat est hatnobodycanbear rest edor
detainedwi thoutl awf uljust i
fi
cat ion.Aper sonmusthav ecommi tteda
cri
mebef orebei ngar rested.Ar restcanonl ybeef fectedi nexecut i
onof
acour tsent ence, byaper son’ sf ailuret ocompl ywi t
hacour tor der , for
purposeofbr i
ngi ngt heper sont ocour tt of acepr osecut ion,f ort he
purposeofunderaged per son’ seducat i
on orwel fare,t o di sal low
spreadofcont agi ousori nf ectiousdi sease,per sonofunsoundmi nd,
drugaddi ctstreat mentort hepr otect ionoft hecommuni ty,prev ent i
on
 ofunl awf ulent ryi nto Ni ger ia orofef fect i
ng expul sion ofi ll
egal
i
mmi gr ant s.
(
d)Rightt of ai rhear ing:Thi si mpl i
est hatanaccusedper sonshoul dnot
bepr esumedgui l
tyexcepthei sgi venoppor t
uni tyt obehear df irst.I t
alsoconnot esr i
ghtt obegi v enopenandpubl ict rialsot hatj ust icewi l
l
beseent obedonebymember soft hepubl ic.I not herwor ds,an
accusedper sonwi l
lbepr esumedi nnocentofacaseunt i
lhei spr ov ed
guiltybyacour tofacompet entj urisdiction.Suchaper sonshoul dbe
i
nf ormed of t he of fence l ev i
ed agai nst hi m i nal anguage he
under stands,gi venadequat et ime,def endhi msel f,hav eaccesst ohi s
l
awy er ,t ri
edt wi cef ort hesameof fencehehadear l
ierbeenf reed,or
compel ledt ogi v eev idencei ncour tinacr i
mi nal casehei sbei ngt ried.
(
e)Rightt opr iv ateandf ami l
yl ife:Ci t
izenhasr ightt or ai sehi sownf ami ly
and enj oy pr i
v acy ofcommuni cat i
on whi ch i s pr otect ed agai nst
i
nt rusi onf rom anot herper son( s) .
(
f)Rightt of reedom oft hought ,consci ence and r eligion:Thi sr i
ght
ent i
tlesi ndi vidualt ohi sopi nionandchooseswhatt obel i
ev ei nornot
tobel iev eatal l.Ital soaf f
or dsaper sont ochangehi sr eli
gionexcept
beingamemberofasecr etsoci ety .Nobodyshal lbef or cedt ol istent o
anyr eligioust rainingot hert hanwhathechoosesorl ikes.Nor eligious
communi tyshal lbepr ev entedf rom pr ov i
dingr el igiousi nst r
uct ionf or
pupi lsoft hatcommuni t
y .
(
g)Rightt of reedom ofexpr essi onandt hepr ess:t hi sr ightgr ant sev er y
i
ndi v i
dual expr essi onofhi sopi nioni nthepubl icwi thouthar assmentor
i
nt i
mi dat ion.Suchaper soni sal soent itl
edt or epor tev ent st ot he
publ icbyv i
rtueoft hei rchosenpr ofessi onasaj our nal i
storot her wi se,
whi chei therconcer ni ndi vidual sorgov ernment s.Ci ti
zensar eal so
ent i
tledt oown, est abl i
shandoper at emedi aout fitsf ort hepur poseof
dissemi nat ingi nf ormat i
on.
(
h)Rightt opeacef ulassembl yandassoci ation:Thi sr ight saccor dev er y
per sont her ightt obel ongornotatal ltoanyassoci at ion.I tisunl awf ul
tof or ce any body t o bel ong t oat rade,r eli
gi ous,soci al ,cul tur al,
prof essi onal ,landl ord associ ation oranyt y peofassoci ation.I ti s
wr ongt opr ev entany bodyf rom bei ngamemberofanassoci ationor
tof orcehi mt oj oinone.Thus,wecansayt hatexcl usionofci v i
l
ser vantf rom bei ng a memberofa pol it
icalpar tyi swr ong whi l
e
pract icesofsomear ti
sanswhof orcepeopl ethatdot hesamej obwi th
them t oj oi nt heiruni oni sabuseofconst i
tutional right s.
(
i)Rightt of reedom ofmov ement :Ev eryci ti
zenexceptnon-i ndigenei s
accor dedt her ightt or esidei nanypar tofNi ger iaandmov ef reel y.
 Suchaper soncannotbeexpel l
edf r
om Ni geri
aorr efusedent r
yt hereto
orexitther efrom.
(
j)Rightt ofreedom f rom discri
mination:Thisgr antsaper sonf rom bei ng
badlyt reatedont hebasi sofpl aceofor i
gin,sex,r eli
gion,di sabil
ity,
poli
ticalopi ni
onorl anguage.
(
k)Rightt oacqui r
eandowni mmov ableproper t
y :Thi
srightaf fordsev ery
persont oowni mmov ablepropertyli
kel andedpr oper ty
,f arml andor
housei nanypar toft hecount r
y.
(
l)Rightt ocompensat i
ononcompul soryacqui siti
onofpr ivatepr oper ty
:
Byt hisr i
ght ,itmeanst hatwhengov ernmentacqui resanyper son’s
pri
vat epr oper t
yf ort hepurposeofpubl i
ci nterest
,theownerofsuch
propertymustbecompensat edbyt hegov ernment .

Li
mit
ati
onst
oRi
ght
s

Humanright
sar
enotabsol
ute.Theymaybecur
tai
l
edi
nthef
oll
owi
ng
ci
rcumst
ances:

i
. Infantswhoar eunder18y earsofagecannotbehel dliabl
eof
cri
mi nal of fence because t hey ar e pr esumed i nnocent and
i
ncapabl eofcr i
mi nal i
ntent s.
i
i. Anex– conv ict,bankr uptorar obbercannotv oteorcont estin
stateel ect
ion.
i
ii
. Any bodywho i si nterestedi nel ect
ivepost smustbeacar d–
carryingmemberofapol it
ical par ty.
i
v. Aci ti
zenmusthav er egisteredandhav ev ot erscardbef orehecan
voteinanel ection.
v. Freedom ofexpr essi
onr ecogni zesl awofsl ander ,li
bel andsedition.
vi
. Ther ear el
aiddownr ulesbef or epubl icsy mposi um canbehel d.
vi
i
. Cer t
ainassoci ationsar ef orpr ofessionalswhi chl aymancannot
easilyjoine.g.NUT, NUJ, NBANMA,
vi
i
i. Rightst oeducat iondonotpr ecl udeaper sonf r
om pay ingschool
feesandot hersi ntuitionpay ingi nst i
tuti
ons.
i
x. Some school s ar e sex based and onl y appr oved sex can be
admi ttede.g.Gi rl
sschool orBoy sSchool
x. Freedom t o own pr oper tydoes notpr ev entpol ice sear ch and
seizure.
xi
. Pr otocol si
nr eachi ngpol it
ical officehol dersar ebarriers.
xi
i. Mor alit
yequal lycur t
ailssomer ight sespeci allyinAfrica.
 xi
i
i. Freedom ofmov ementi s hinder ed by t he pr ivacy ofot her s,
tresspassandpol iceper mi ttogoondemonst ration.
xi
v. Freedom ofassoci at i
ondoesnotal low member shipofcul tsand
assembl yont hehi ghway .
xv
. St at eofemer gency ,warandi mposi t
ionofcur fewcant hwar tal ot
ofr ight s.Acount rymi ghtbei npol it
icalcr i
si swhi chcoul dleadt o
crisisand i ncapaci tatei tto actdeci sivel
y .I tcan t hen lead t o
dissol ution oft he par l
iamentand ot hermechani sms ofl egal
i
nst itution.
xv
i. Immuni tythatsomepubl icof f
icersenj oysuchasPr esi dentandhi s
Vice, Gov ernorsandt heirdeput i
es,Ambassador sandJudgeswhi l
e
i
nof fi
cemakest hem t obeabov eboar df orpr osecut i
ononwr ong
doi ngs. Ther ei sal sopar l
iament aryi mmuni tywhi chal l
owst he
l
awmaker st osayany thingi nt hef looroft hepar l
iamentwi t
hout
beent r
iedf ori t?Int hisr espect ,thelawofsl ander ,l
ibelorsedi tion
mi ghtnotbeappl i
ed.
xv
ii
. Asi ckper sonmaybedet ainedorquar anti
nedf rom spr eadi nga
cont agi ousdi seasef ort hesakeofpubl i
cheal t
h.
xv
ii
i.Int hei nterestofdef ence, publicsaf ety,publ i
cor der ,publ icmor alit
y
orf ort hepur poseofpr otectingt her ight sandf r
eedom ofot her
per sons.
xi
x. Ifachi ldundersev eny earscommi tsacr ime, nomat tert hegr av it
y
oft heof fence,hewoul dnotbepr osecut edexceptwhenhei s
abov esev eny ear sbef or ehecanbecr i
mi nallyhel dl i
ablef ora
crimecommi ttedbyhi m pr ovidedt hati tcanbepr ov edt hathe
knowswhathei sdoi ng.Chi l
dr enar enotusual lyt riedi nr egul ar
cour t
s, exceptwhent heycommi tacr imeal ongadul tof fender sbut
i
nj uv enilecour ts.A chi ldisaper sonunder18y ear sofagei n
relat i
ont omostmat tersunderci vi
llaw,cannotent eri nt o al otof
transact i
onsonhi sown,cannoti ndependent l
ymai nt ainacour t
act i
onbutany bodyof18y earsi sconsi deredel igiblet ov otebut
cannotbev otedf or.

HUMANRI
GHTSABUSESI
NNI
GERI
AANDTHEWORLD

Manypeopleliv
ingwi t
hsomeai lmentssuchasHI V/AIDSEbolaareoft
en
beingdiscr
imi
natedsimpl ybecauseofthei
rheal t
hconditi
on.Theyarenotoft
en
seenasf reeper
sonswhocanent erintocontractorotherrel
ati
onshi
poftheir
choice.Manyoft hesepeoplear eoft
endi scr
iminatedi
nt ermsofappoint
ment
i
nto publicsect
ororr ecrui
tmentinto st
atear med forces.Manyhav ebeen
droppedasunfitforrecruit
ment ,admissi
ontohi
gherinsti
tut
ionsoflear
ningand
promoti
onintheirwor ki
ngpl aces.Whilemanycount
ri
esoft hewor l
daremaking
andenfor
cinglawst ocur t
ailthi
strend,i
tisy
ett
obewel laddressed.

Humanr ightsabuseal somanifestinspiri

tualdel
iverance.Insomecases,
chil
drenandev ent heagedar eoft
enaccusedofbei ngpossessed.Att i
mes,they
areoftentakent ospiri
tualhomesf ordeli
verance.Inanat t
emptt odeli
versome
ofthesepeopl e,theyar eof t
enbeatenandt ortur
esoast oconf ess.Alotof
peoplehavesust ainedv ar
iousdegreeofwoundswhi lesomea=hav ediedi
nt he
process.Manyar emadet oundergocompul sor
yf asti
ngandl oneli
ness,which
addtopsychological andemot i
onaldist
urbanceofsuchv i
ctims.

Ther eisalsochi ldabuse.Thisisverycommoni ndev elopingcount r

ieslike
Nigeri
awher ebychi ldrenofschoolagear eseenhawki ngi nt hest r
eetsand
workingashouse–hel ps.Ther eischil
dmar ri
age,exploitat i
vel abor,betrothal
,
tatt
oos, skinmar ks,beggi ngforalmsandpr osti
tuti
onwi thchi l
drenusedi nmost
cases.Chi ldtraffi
ckingi salsoanot heraspectofchi l
dabuse,whenchi ldrenof
underagear ebeent akent oothercountr
iestobeexpl oi
tedf ormonet ar
ybenef it
.
Inmostcases,f emal eunderagedar elur
edtof oreigncount ri
esl ikeLibyaf or
compul sorypr osti
tution.Caseofabor ti
onisanot herangl e,wi tht helegalit
yor
otherwiseofi tstil
lraging.Ev enwiththedomest i
cationoft heConv enti
onont he
Rightsoft heChi l
d,wi tht hepassageofChi ldRight sAct ,chi l
dabusehasnot
beenf i
nallystopped.

Whent hepol i
cear et ograntbai ltoasuspect ,nomoneyshoul dbepai das
acondi t
ionf orgr ant i
ngsuchabai l
.Thisisnotal wayst hecase.I nf actandi n
reali
ty,mostpol icest ati
onsi n Ni geri
a har dlygr antbai lin deser vi
ng cases
wi t
houtcol lect i
ngmoney .Excepti nsomecasesl i
kemur der ,armedr obber y
,
treasonandot hercr i
mi nalcasest hatmayr equirest r
ingentbai lcondi t
ions, ev ery
offencei sbai lable.But ,policehav esev erall
ybeeni ndictedofext ortingsuspect
beforegr antinghi m orherbai l
.Ther eisalsoaccusat ionofi l
legaldet entionst hat
are mor e t han t went yf our hour s under t he di sguise of i nconcl usi ve
i
nv estigati
ons.Pol icear eal sof ondofacci dentaldi schargest hathav el edt o
deathofmanyNi ger i
ans.Al otofpol i
cecheckpoi ntsar emount edonNi ger ian
roadswher emoneyi sbeenext ortedfrom mot or
istagai nsttheirwi l
landany body
thatdar et oquest ionsuchi ll
egal i
tyhav ebeenshor tdeadorbeat enbl ueand
black.Ther ear eillegalar reststooagai nstt heconst i
tuti
onalmannerofaf fect ing
arrest.Peopl ehav ebeenar restedont hesl ight
estpr ovocationoft hepol iceor
soldier.Manypol ice officers,ar myorot herl aw enf orcementagent s hav e
arrestedi nnocentNi ger i
ansbecauseofmi normi sunderstandingbet weensuch
peopl eandt hei rsiblings,r el
ativesorgi rlf
riends.Uni form menuset hei runi form
andgunt
ointi
midat
eandharasshar
ml essNiger
ians.Ther
eisalsopol
icetor
tur
e
i
npoli
cecel
l
sinanattemptt
oensurethattheaccusedconfessedtoacri
me.

Gov er nmental so sei zes peopl e’

s pr operti
es wi thoutpay mentofany
compensat ion.Inr ecentt i
mes, propertiesofmanyf ormerpol it
icalof f
icehol ders
underf ormerNi gerianpr esident ,
Goodl uckJonat han, suchasMusi li
uObani kor o,
ColonelSambo Dasuki ,FaniKay ode,Ol i
sah Met uland so on wer e sei zed
becauseof“ al
legedcor ruption”.Theaccountofser vi
ngEki tiSt ateGov er nor,
Ayodel eFay osewasal sof rozen,ev enwhenheenj oysi mmuni ty.Manypeopl e
aref orcedt omakeconf essi onsunderdur esswhent heyaredy i
ngi npol i
ce
custody .Int hepast ,alotofhumanr i
ght sactivi
stshav etoseekasy lum inot her
count r
iesf ordar et oopenl ycr i
ti
cizear epressiveregi meofbadgov ernment .In
doing t his,manypeopl e’sf reedom ofexpr essi
ons ar etrampl ed upon wi th
i
mpuni t
y .Ther eisal sofrequentcl ampdownonmedi ahousesanddest ruct
ionof
theirpubl icat i
onsorst udioonal legationofsubj ecti
v epubl i
cationorbr oadcast .
Manypubl icchi efmedi aex ecutivehav ebeensackedwi t
houttrialorpay mentof
entit
lement s.

Cour tsalsoabusehumanr i
ght sunderthegui seofdoingt hei
rjobs.Courts
somet imesi mposecondi tionsthatar etoodiff
iculttofulf
il
l.Accordi
ngt oJustice
AbduAboki ,itisimpr opert oimposeunnecessar yandunf ulfi
ll
ableconditi
onsof
bailout sidet hepr ovisi
onsoft hel aw onanaccusedper sont othepoi ntof
al
mostr ender i
ngt hebailnugator y
.Pleabar gai
nhasequal l
ybeenusedt oprovide
softlandingf orhighpr ofi
lelawbr eakerswhi l
epettyt hi
evesaremadet olanguish
i
npr isons.I twasacr eati
onoft heAmer i
cancr i
mi nalj
usti
cesy stem,butgained
entryintoNi geriain2005dur ingt het r
ialofformerI nspectorGeneralofPol i
ce,
TafaBal ogunandhassi ncebeensubsequent l
yusedi nanumberofcor rupt
casesi nt hecountr y
.

Nigeri
anscouldnotcompelt heirl
eaderstodiscloseinfor
mat i
onaboutt he
gov ernmentpol ici
es and programs ev en aft
erthe passage ofFr eedom of
Informat i
onActi n2011.From 2011t odate,Niger
ianshav eri
sentodemandf or
i
nfor mationoni mportantar
easofgov ernancewhichpol it
icalof
fi
cehol dershave
deni ed.Forexampl e,Niger
ianshaveaskedt henationallawmakerst odi scl
ose
theirmont hlysalar
iesandot herent
it
lements.Theyhav edemandedt oknowt he
sour ceoff undsbeingspentbyFi r
stLadyofNi ger
iaandot herstat
esfirstladi
es
tonoav ail
.

Unl
ikeinNiger
iawherethef
ateofprosti
tutesisnotcl
ear,somecount ri
es
oftheworldsuchasBr azi
landFr
ancerecognizedtheright
sofpr ost
it
utesand
consi
der
edi tasl
egal.Thisi
sdonethr
oughr egist
rat
ionandissuanceoflicense
tosexwor ker s,desi gnat i
onofcer tainpl acesf ort hem andset tingofagel i
mi ts
fori nterest edwomen.Excepti nSaudiAr abia,lawsappearsi lentonpr ostitution.
But ,inNi ger ia, itisacr imet omai ntainabr ot helwher epr ost ituteswor kwhet her
theyar eunder agegi rlsoradul ts.Iti sal soacr i
mef orl adiest ost andonr oad
sidesatoddhour si namannersuggest ivet hatt heyar esol i
citingf ormal e
patronage. Al though,apr osti
tutemayhav eapr i
v ateapar tmentwher eshe
enter t
ai nsdi ffer entmenataf eebutcannotmakeacl aimi ncour tofl aw i fa
mal epar tnerf ailst opayheraf t
ert heser v i
ce.Thi si swhypr ost it
ut esar er aided,
harassed, abusedandi nt i
mi datedatwi l
l.Lawenf or cementagent ssev eral l
yt ake
adv ant ageofpr ost i
tutiont or apev ictims.Thi sisal sowel lrelat edt ot her ightsof
femal eI nter nal lyDi splacedPer sons( IDPs)t obepr otect ed.Unf or tunat ely,femal e
IDPs ar e bei ng r aped whi le other s ar er efused pr opermedi cat ion,f or mal
educat ion,secur i
ty,shel t
erandf eedi ng.Womenar eal sobeendi scr iminat ed
uponont heaccountofhergender .Insomepl acesi nNi ger i
a,t her ear est il
l
traditi
onalpr act i
ces t hatsubj ectwomen t o cer tain degr ading t reatment s,
harmf ulwi dowhoodpr actices,sexualhar assment ,violenceanddepr i
v ations.For
i
nst ance,i nYor ubal and,amar ried womancannoti nher itherl atehusband
proper tyexcepthersonbecauseshei sher selfacommodi tyt obei nher i
ted.A
policewomani sal sobei ngdi scrimi nat eduponasshei sf orbi ddenf rom goi ng
i
nt omar riagewi thi
nt woy earsofj oiningt hepol i
ce, needspol i
cef or malappr ov al
i
fshei sr ecr uitedasasi ngleladybef oreshecanmar ryori ntendst omar rya
civi
lianbutt hesamel awi ssi l
entonmal epol iceifhei nt endst omar r yasasi ngl e
officer.Al lt hesest i
llper sistevenwhenNi ger i
aisasi gnator yt ot heConv ent i
on
ont heEl imi nat ionofAl l FormsofDi scrimi nationAgai nstWomen( CEDAW) .

Somemedi calper sonneli nNi geriaabuset heirpatient

swhodef aul tin
payingt heirmedi calbill
sf oraslongast heyowe.Thi samount stosel fhelpand
const i
tutesf alsei mprisonment .Althoughpat i
entshav eadut ytopayf ort he
servicesr ender edbymedi calpracti
tioners,alegalact ioncanbet aken.I tisal so
acr imet oabor tinNi geria.Unli
kesomecount r
iessuchasUSA,UK,Fr ance,
GermanyandI tal
y,anymedi calpersonnelwhocausesawoman‘ spr egnancyt o
beabor tedisliableto14y earsimprisonmentwhi let hewomanher selfi
sliablet o
7y earsi mprisonment .Thus,inducedabor ti
onisf rownedupon.Theonl ylegal l
y
accept ablereasonf orabor tioninNiger i
aiswheni tist osav ethewomanl ife.But ,
whathappenswhenpr egnancyoccur sasar esul tofr ape,incestorwhena
pregnancyendanger sawoman’ sphy si
cal,physi
ol ogical,mentaloremot ional
wellbeingoft hewoman.Whent hei ssueofhow abor ti
onconst i
tutesabuseby
ei
thert hewomanher selfordepr ivati
onofwoment oabor tbygov ernmenti n
Niger i
ar emai nscont entious,quackst hr
iveinthisar eat owast ei nnocentl ives
andr apemanywomenbef oreabor t
ingt hem.Manyt erminall
ysickper sonsar e
al
way sinjectedwi thlethaldrugsorov er
dosemedi cati
on.Thisi smor eorl ess
mur derandcar r
iesdeat hpenaltyinNiger
ia,yetmanyar esecretlyperpetratedby
medi calper sonnel;someatt heinst
anceoft hesickperson’srelat
ives.Cor onal
l
awsar esomet i
mesi gnoredwheni tisobvioust hatt
hecauseofadeat hisnot
natural.Many publ ic personali
ti
es’suspicious deaths have been wav ed of
autopsy.Al thoughr eli
giousandcul t
uralvaluesofNi geriansdonotsuppor tthe
applicat
ion ofcor onerl aw,Musl i
msi n particul
arbelievethatappl icati
on of
coronerl aw v i
olat
est het enetsoftheirf
aithwhi chrequi r
esthem tobur yt hei
r
deadwi thinspeci f
ictimel i
mit.

Manyt i
mes, t
heagedanddi sabl
edar eoftenlockedinsi
debyt heirsi
bli
ngs.When
bei
ngmadet opasst hroughmaltr
eatment ,t
heywi l
lnotbeal lowedtoeat ,dri
nk
water,orhaveaccesst opeopl
e.I nthisway ,thei
rsocialli
feandf r
eedom of
mov ementarehamper ed.Someti
mest oo,peopleinthiscategoryarer est
rict
ed
fr
om sitt
ing,associ
ati
ngwi thchi
ldrenorcont ri
butetodiscussionwi t
hv i
sit
ors.
Theybathwhent hei
rlovedoneswi sh.

Whenev eraper son’sri

ghti sviolat
ed,i rrespect i
veofwhocommi tst he
vi
olati
on,t he v i
cti
m can appr oach the cour tto seek r edress.The cour tis
expectedt odoj usti
ceunl essther eisjusti
ficationf orthev iol
at i
onort hereisno
vi
olati
onatal l
.Ther eisalsotendencyt hatar ightcl ai
medt ohav ebeenv i
olated
i
snotact uallyarightunderast at
econst ituti
on.Fori nstance,t hereisnosuch
ri
ghtliker ighttoeducat i
on,r
ightt oshel ter,tof ood,heal thcar eorwagesor
employ menti nNigeria.Theser ightsareonl yment ionedi npassi ngunl i
kethose
ri
ghtsear l
ierment i
onedanddi scussedabov e.Inot herwor ds,r i
ghttoeducat i
on
orsheltercannotbeenf orcedi
nNi geri
ancour t
si fthest at
ef ailstofacil
it
atet heir
provi
siont hroughitspolici
es.

Whatshoul
dbedonet
oEnj
oyFundament
alFr
eedoms

Educationdev elopsandmustbeaccor dedapr i

or i
tyacrosst hegl obe,
especiall
yi nt hedev elopingcount ri
es.Tof ull
yenj oyhumanf r
eedoms,t here
mustbehi ghper centageofl i
ter
atecitizensi nthedev elopingcount ries.Itisonl y
anenlightenedmi ndthatcanbewel lawar eoft hegoi ngoni ntheirenv ir
onment .
Educationwi l
lal somaket heci t
izenstoseet hi
ngsi nt heirtrueper spectivesand
comeoutt oident i
fyandcr iti
cizegov ernmentmi sdeedsandv i
olationoft heir
ri
ghtsbygov ernment ,gr oupori ndiv
iduals.Fr om el ement aryschoolupwar d,
pupil
sandst udent sshoul dbemadet ounder st andt heirr i
ghtsandl i
mi t
ations
withi
nt heambi tsofl aw.Thosewhoseet hecour t sasnogoar easshoul dbe
constantl
ygi vent herequi redexposur ebyt heNat i
onalOr i
ent at
ionAgency ,NOA,
i
nl i
newi t
ht heirmandat es.
Ifhumanr ight
smustbeenj oyedr easonabl ybyal l
,thest at
emustbewel l
disposedt oabi deandr especthumanr ights.Thest atemustnotbet oopower ful
soasnott oactar bitrar ily.Democr ati
ci nst it
ut i
onsmustbedeepened. Thus,
gov ernment-t her uler s,publ icof fice–hol dersandt heirsur rogatesmustbe
readyt ocompl ywi tht her uleofl aw i nl i
newi tht heUni versalDecl ar at ionof
HumanRi ght st hatt heyar esi gnat or y.Themassesoft hepeopl emustgui deand
guar dt hei rdemocr aticr egi me so t hati twi l
lnotcol l
apse.Leader shi p of
democr aticgov ernmentt hatgoest y ranni cal fallswi thint hear m –pi tofav icious
gov ernmentandneedst obeconf ront edandt ackedbyal landsundr y.
Thef r
eedom oft hepr essmustbeguar anteed.Af r
eepr esswoul dbeabl e
todi ssemi nat ei nfor mat iont omember soft hepubl ic.I naddi tion,af reepr ess
woul densur eaf r
eef low ofcommuni cat ion,abl et opubl i
shanygov er nment ,
groupori ndi vidualwr ongdoi ngswi thoutf ear ,threatorpuni shment .Inshor t ,the
pressshoul dnotbecensor edbyt hegov ernmentandj ournalistsnotcagedi nt he
dischar geoft heirof ficialdut ies.Thi swi llmaket hepr essment oexpr esst hei r
freemi ndoni ssuesofhumanr i
ght sabusei nt hecount ry.
The t hr ee or gans of gov ernment must be di stinct.No or gan of
gov ernmentshoul d encr oach on t he r ight s orpower s oft he ot her .The
i
ndependenceoft hej udi ci aryi sast rongdef enceofhumanr i
ght sandf reedoms.
Thepr oceedi ngsofl aw cour tandsubsequentj udgmentt obepassedbyt he
j
ur i
st sshoul dnotbei nf luencedbyt hest ate,i tsappar atusorpr ivatei ndi vidual s.
Enshr iningt her i
ght sandf reedomsi nthecount ry’sconst i
tutioni snotenough,
butt her ight smustbeal lowedt obeappl i
edt oal lci ti
zens.Anyusur pat ionoft he
ri
ght sbyany bodyi ncl udi nggov ernmentagent smustbeseent obecapabl eof
beendet er mi nedbyt hecour ts.Tr ial sofhumanr i
ght sabusecasesmustbef airly
handl ed byj udgesi rrespect i
veoft hel ev elofweal th,pol iti
calcol or ation or
reli
giousl ineage.Moneyorpol iti
calconnect ionshoul dnol ongerbeusedt obuy
j
udgment .Unnecessar ycl ampdownonj udgesonaccountofcor rupt iont hat
dev i
at esf rom r ecogni zedconst it
ut ional cont rol mechani smsmustbef rownedat .
Thecont roloft hej udi ci aryi scl earandunequi v ocalandt hisshoul dr emai n
sacr osanct .Casesofhumanr ight sabuseshoul dal sobehandl edspeedi lyand
thiscal lsf orappoi ntmentofmor ej udgesacr ossv ar i
ousl evelsofgov ernment .
Weequal lyneednoncor ruptandhi ghl ypr ofessi onall aw enf or cement
agent s.I ncl i
meswher eci v i
lcul turehasbeenest abl i
shed, thepol i
cef or cei sf ree
from cor rupt i
onandt hisenabl esi tt odi schar gei tsdut i
esi nmai nt ainingl aws
and or der s and pr osecut e human r i
ght s abuses.I n Af ri
ca,Asi a and ot her
dev elopi ngcount ri
es,t hemember soft hepol icef or cear enotexoner atedf rom
humanr ight sabuse,cor rupt i
on,ext orti
onandt orture,i l
legalsei zureandsear ch
duet ot heeconomi esoft hesecount r
ies,r esul t
ingf rom poorpay mentf ort he
policef orce.Toensur et hathumanr i
ght sandf r
eedom abusesar eenf or cedby
thepol ice,t het rainingshoul dbeadv ancedbyt hegov ernment ,thei rsal ar i
es
i
ncr easedmor eandpr ompt lypai d,bar racksmademor ebef itti
ngandr egul ar
suppl yandr epl enishmentoft heirwor ki
ngneeds.
Mor enon-gov er nment alhumanr i
ght sor gani zat i
onsneedt obef loat ed
byl awy ersandhumanr i
ght smi ndedi ndi vidual s.Member soft hepubl i
cshoul d
endeav ort oassi sthumanr i
ght sbasedor gani zat i
onswi thourmor al andmat erial
suppor t.Thehumanr ight sout fi
tsshoul dmov edownt ot hegr assroot s,wher e
thepeopl ewi l
lact ual lyunder standwhatt heydo.Weneedmor ear t i
cul at ed
publ icopi nionf rom pr essur egr oups,whi chneedt obeai dedbyr espect abl e
member soft hesoci ety.Responsi blegov ernmentwoul dlistent othisopi nion
andi ntheev entofv i
ol ationofr i
ght soft hepeopl e, adjustandmakecor rupt ion.
I
nternat ionalor r egionalor ganizations can sanct i
on or expelt heir
member sf orhuman r ight sabuse. The Uni ted Nat ions,Commonweal t
h of
Nat ions,ECOWAS,Sout hAf ri
canDev elopmentCommuni ty,SADC,Or gani zat i
on
ofAmer i
canSt ates,theAr abLeaguecansanct i
ont heirmember sforv i
ol ationof
peopl er ight sandf reedom i nanyf orm consi der eddemeani ng.Wor ldhuman
ri
ght s organi zations such as Tr anspar encyI nter nationaland Human Ri ght s
Wat chneedt obr aceupagai nstt hei rcrit
icisms.Theyequal l
yneedt oi nt ensi fy
theirnet wor kt ocov ermor est atest hatar ej ustdev elopingandbeunbi asedand
non- ideologi cal.
Pri
sonandr emandhomesneedt obegi venabef itt
ingout l
ook.I tshoul d
bemadet oser vei t
sr efor mat oryr ole.Prisonwar der sneedt obet rai
nedandr e-
trainedr egul ar l
yt obr aceupf ort het asksaheadoft hem.I nstancesofr apeof
womeni nmat esbypr i
sonof fi
cialsshoul dbepr oper lyi nvestigatedwheni ti s
repor ted.Ther eshoul dbenot hingl ikev eryimpor tantpr i
soner swhoal way sr ape
femal einmat es,makecal l
sf r
eelyorgoouti noddhour sf orrelaxat ion.Al l
prisoner sshoul dbet reat edf airl
y .Gov ernmentshoul dext endi t
ssear chl ightt o
IDPscent ers,wher eunderagedgi rlsandwomenar ebei ngr apedbypeopl et hat
shoul dpr otectt hem.Homesf ort heagedshoul dbemor eexpandedandbe
madeat tractive.Publ icst r ucturesshoul dbear chitect urallydesi gnedtot akecar e
oft hedi sabl ed.