Ayodele Olalere
Access to Justice(A2J) has lamented the continued use of torture by security and law enforcement agencies in Nigeria, and urged the government to do more than pay lip service to abolishing the practice.
In a statement jointly signed by the Convener of the group, Joseph Otteh and Project Director, Deji Ajare, to mark June 26 International Day in Support of Victims of Torture, the group lamented that in spite of Anti Torture Act, 2017, law enforcement and security agencies still torture with impunity while none of them have been prosecuted for torture.
“June 26th is the International Day in Support of Victims of Torture. The day has been set aside by the United Nations to support victims of torture and to push for the elimination of torture. In 2017, Nigeria passed the Anti Torture Act (“ATA”) in a bold effort to end the use of brutal and inhumane tactics in law enforcement and security operations.
“Unfortunately, the Anti Torture Act has been mostly a window dressing, and no real effort has been made, in practice, to abolish the use of torture by the Nigerian government. Nigerian security forces continue to kill arbitrarily and torture persons they arrest within the context of counter-insurgency operations, ” the statement stated.
The group further noted that though there have been ‘ decrease in the incidence of torture by law enforcement agencies, systematized patterns of torture are still prevalent.”
“Many independent reports confirm Nigerians are still subjected to beatings, extended periods of pre-trial detention, and public parading of crime suspects. The Anti Torture Act specifically designates the parading of crime suspects as “torture” but law enforcement and security institutions continue to publicly parade untried crime suspects nationwide routinely and with impunity.”
it added: “Furthermore, in spite of its continued and publicized use, no one has been reported to have been prosecuted under the ATA for perpetrating acts of torture. Not even members of notorious Units such as the outlawed Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS), notwithstanding the many horrendous allegations made against its members, many of which have been substantiated by EndSARS Panels of Inquiries across State lines.”
The group urged the Attorney General of the Federation, AGF, to ensure those indicted for torture are prosecuted and brought to book.
“We urge the AGF to immediately collate records of proceedings of the various EndSARS Panels of Inquiry and, from those records, commence prosecution of law enforcement or security agency officials, whether serving or not, found to have tortured their victims, in order to send a strong message of “intent” to Nigerians.”
“We also urge the AGF to ensure, as the ATA says in Section 11, that “the prohibition against torture is fully included in ·the training of law enforcement personnel, civil or military, medical· personnel, public officials and other persons who may be involved in the custody, interrogation or treatment of any individual subjected to any form of arrest, detention or imprisonment.”
It also advocated for “appropriate rehabilitation and compensation programmes for all victims of torture.’
