Amnesty International urges Nigeria to take greater measures to safeguard human rights
Nigeria needs stricter laws and more protections for human rights, according to Amnesty International.
Speaking at Amnesty International’s Write for Rights Fiesta Agenda 2023 in Abuja on Wednesday, Isa Sanusi, country director of Amnesty International Nigeria, made the statement.
According to Sanusi, the Write for Rights campaign is held annually from November to December by Amnesty International. As a way to commemorate International Human Rights Day, he explained, we should all take a moment to put our words into the hands of those who have endured injustice in the globe. He expressed the grave concern of Amnesty International over the human rights situation in Nigeria and emphasised the need for stricter rules and the rule of law.
The refusal to confront human rights violations, both recent and historical, is encouraging more of the same.The latest airstrike on a Kaduna hamlet serves as a sobering reminder of the growing callousness towards human life.
We will keep pressing the Nigerian government to solve human rights issues in a comprehensive manner.Human rights issues, such as the widespread impunity of law enforcement and the frequent kidnapping and assaults on rural villages by masked men, must be addressed by President Bola Tinubu.
He stated, “We are doing our best to address that gap,” in relation to human rights awareness.According to Sanusi, Amnesty International is implementing a human rights teaching project in schools, particularly universities, with the aim of reaching out to young people.
The majority of the crimes, human rights abuses, and breaches occurred in informal settlements, he continued, therefore that was another aim of the group. The President of the Centre for Socio-Legal Studies and Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) Prof. Akinseye George has praised Amnesty International’s work to safeguard human rights.
“Right now, there are just too many cases for the criminal justice system to handle. People in low-income brackets cannot afford legal representation, filing fees, and other costs associated with the court system.
Since these cases make up the bulk of our courts’ workload and cannot be heard altogether, I propose we establish what I call simple claims courts to handle claims with a value of less than twenty million dollars.
“Then why not establish small claims courts, give the magistrates more authority, increase their training, and then utilise technology to speed up the case process?” There are currently fifty cases that a judge must complete.
How can you adjudicate fifty cases in a single day? “Therefore, it is not feasible; consequently, technology must be employed to update the judicial system,” he remarked.
To cut down on delays, Goerge proposed new criminal pretrial case management procedures and smaller claims courts.At the present time, only the wealthy can afford the legal system; the average guy with a claim cannot afford to hire an attorney. Therefore, we must ensure that justice is accessible and affordable to the poor.
“Therefore, it is imperative that we establish a justice system that promptly addresses the concerns of the general public and the majority of Nigerians,” he continued.
Even while the constitution provided many human rights, George argued that people were not genuinely exercising them.Leaders will inevitably pursue unpopular public policies when their constituents’ human rights are ignored, he argued, highlighting the necessity for human rights education for those in positions of power.
To control societal vices, he argued, “so, there is need to strengthen the educational system, the economy and provide jobs for the masses,” with a special focus on young people who have dropped out of school.