CSO wants Nigeria Government to implement UN report against torture

A Civil Society Organisation, Prisoners Rehabilitation and Welfare Action (PRAWA), has appealed to the Federal Government to implement the United Nations (UN) Report Against Torture.

The Executive Director, Dr Uju Agomoh, appealed a consultation workshop for government agencies on the Report of the UN Committee against torture in Nigeria, in Abuja on Thursday.

Agomoh said that Nigeria acceded to the Convention Against Torture on 28 June 2001, and was under obligation to submit its initial report under Article 19 (1) of the Convention by 28 June 2002.

She added that in the absence of this initial report by the government, the Committee Against Torture considered the status of implementation of the Convention in Nigeria at its 1852nd and 1855th meetings held on 16 and 17 November 2021.

She noted that the meetings were held following rule 67, paragraph 3, of the Committee’s rules of procedure, which according to her, enabled the Committee after due notification to Nigeria to go ahead to examine the measures taken to protect or give effect to the rights recognised in the Convention and come up with concluding observations.

“We will be looking at publicity and way forward for the report, the concluding observations and especially the recommendations made to Nigeria.

“The essence of this workshop again is that the report on Nigeria by the UN Committee Against Torture is out.

“We want to create more awareness on the document. But more importantly, we want to study the recommendations and why those recommendations were made; what can be done to begin to implement those recommendations.

“Our main focus now is, how do we ensure that those recommendations are implemented?

“Today’s event is with our government agencies, tomorrow, we will engage the media and CSOs. We can no longer stay and do nothing about it.

“This is about 20 years since Nigeria signed and ratified UN Convention Against Torture Preliminary treatment,” she said.

She, however, added that the CSO would work with relevant government agencies to see how to implement the recommendations concerning other issues.

Prof. Jumai Audi, Chairman of, Nigeria Law Reform Commission, asked the government to prioritise the report for the benefit of those living in the rural areas.

“We all know that there are so many issues that the government is dealing with currently.

“But the government should put this issue among its priority to tackle it now because people at the grassroots are most affected. Those in the grassroots are really disadvantaged in the society,” she said.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the workshop had representatives from the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), the Police, the Nigeria Correctional Service, and the Nigeria Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC). (NAN)