House of Representatives Committee on Public Petitions Chairman Jerry Alagbaso on Wednesday was tough on the country’s security agencies, accusing them of human rights violations during the COVID-19 lockdown.
Police, followed by non-state actors like the state COVID-19 task force and the Nigerian military, were among the main human rights violators, he said, as noted in the documented report. of the National Human Rights Commission.
He also said the Department of State Services and the Nigerian Society for Security and Civil Defense have been charged with human rights violations while enforcing pandemic rules and regulations.
The legislator intervened during an experience sharing session on “Administrative injustice arising from COVID-19”, organized by the Policy and Legal Advocacy Center with the support of the European Union.
PLAC Executive Director Clement Nwankwo, while welcoming participants, said the purpose of the event was to collect data on lessons learned from COVID-19 and recommendations for improving social well-being. -economics of vulnerable groups.
The session also made recommendations on legislative committee interventions that will protect the rights of women in public emergencies.
Alagbaso said the violations included arbitrary arrests and detentions of citizens and even those with compelling reasons to perform their official duties during the COVID-19 lockdown period.
Besides the harassment and illegal detention of journalists by security agencies, he said there were also several cases of illegal arrests and detentions of ordinary citizens and other hungry people in search of food. and sources of income.
He said: “In the Committee on Human Rights Violations, we have dealt with cases concerning administrative injustices. And during our investigative hearings, the Committee’s position regarding the violation of human rights is always made clear to the heads of the security agencies and we have always pointed out the dangers of human rights abuse. Another problem is that of extrajudicial executions.
Alagbaso said the NHRC documented more than 11 extrajudicial killings between April and May 2020 committed by security officers while enforcing the lockdown of COVID-19 as well as other non-state actors.
In its report, the commission said they caused seven of the deaths while the NSCDC, non-state actors and state task forces located in Abia state for COVID-19 enforcement were responsible for the others.
He said the NHRC report showed that of the 11 documented deaths, four were recorded in Abia State, two in Delta State, while Niger, Jigawa, Lagos, Anambra and Rivers have recorded one death each.
“The report also said that during the COVID-19 lockdown, police accounted for 29.6% of total violations, followed by individuals and non-state actors and gender-based violence which accounted for 18.3%.
The report pointed out that the various COVID-19 enforcement task forces across the country accounted for 10.5% of the cases, while the Nigerian military and Nigeria Security and Civil Defense Corp accounted for 7.7 % and 1.9%. respectively of the violation.
“The DSS also accounted for 1% of the total violation cases,” Alagbaso said.
The lawmaker said arrests were rife as even journalists who perform essential services have been illegally arrested and detained by police.
He denounced the excess of zeal of certain personnel in uniform in the exercise of their functions, calling for a change of attitude.
Participants at the event shared their experiences during the reporting period, with most accusing the police of extortion and other forms of abuse.
The session also heard from participants how the Covid -19 pandemic exposed severe corruption in the country, as government claims to put in place critical infrastructure for this purpose were unrealistic.
The problems also highlighted were those of domestic and sexual violence which increased during the lockdown, as observed by civil society groups and non-governmental organizations.
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