ABIA: PRAWA Holds Consultative Workshop On UN Committee Recommendations On Torture

The workshop which held on Tuesday, December 21, 2021 had representatives from the Nigerian Correctional Centre, the Nigeria Police Force, the Department of State Services, the National Orientation Agency, Ministry of Justice, Ministry of Women Affairs, etc.

PRAWA in collaboration with the International Rehabilitation Council for Torture victims (IRCT), convened the workshop with a motive of creating awareness and ensuring an end to torture, inhumane and degrading treatment in Nigeria.

Addressing the participants on the recommendations of the UN Committee against torture, the Deputy Director, PRAWA, Ogechi Ogu Esq, regretted that Nigeria again, failed to submit a report on the efforts it has made on the torture situation in the country and implementation of recommendations to the UN committee in Geneva during the November, 2021 meeting even with Nigerian government's representatives being present.

[caption id="attachment_121274" align="aligncenter" width="467"] Deputy Director PRAWA, Ogechi Ogu Esq[/caption]

"Nigeria acceded to the convention on 28 June 2001. The state party was under an obligation to submit it's initial report under article 19 (1) of the convention by 28 June 2002. Each year thereafter, Nigeria was included in the list of states parties with overdue reports in the annual report, which the committee submits to the states parties and the General Assembly ".

She revealed that Nigeria have gotten series of reminders of their delayed submission of reports but the country is yet to do the needful even after the Civil society organizations, the National Human Rights Commission and others had compiled their own reports on cases of torture in the country.

She further told ALL FACTS NEWSPAPER correspondent that;

"A country must not be perfect before that country takes a decision to make this report. Nigeria has all the capacity in terms of human and material resources to live up to this obligation- so this is a call for that, and knowing fully well that issues of torture don't happen at federal level alone, it emanates actually from states so we are here in Abia to equally enlighten and sensitize the people and agents of government to ensure that necessary International, Regional and National laws on human torture are implemented and to equally do their own documentation and provide requisite, authentic and reliable information and data on issues of torture so that when the federal government is reporting, they would have laid hand on information and data that can be reliable for state reporting."

She noted that the report will go a long way in the fight against torture as it has exposed the issue of torture giving room for recommendations.

Ogu stated that there is need for the masses to know their rights on torture and what the Anti-Torture Act entails including the maximum sentence of 25 years imprisonment for anybody convicted with torture.

She added that the government setting up judicial panels of inquiries on police brutality and extra judicial killings after the #EndSARS protest is a plus. The deputy director noted that the establishment of the judicial panels reflected in the last report presented to the UN committee, however there is expectation of the recommendations and implementation as people tend to commit crimes when they know they won't be held accountable.

"Trust that even in the absence of the government reporting on it's own, Civil Society organizations who have been monitoring these cases, will equally present that report in the next cycle" she added.

Some of the recommendations of the UN committee on torture are;

Criminalization of the attempts to commit torture in the Anti- Torture Act and ensure that there is no limitations for the offence of torture.
Provide judicial officials and lawyers with specific trainings.
Ensure the right of detainees to be brought promptly before a judge or to be freed and ensure their right to inform a relative of their arrest and detention.
Ensure that detainees have the right to obtain medical examination by an independent physician or a physician of their choice.
Train law enforcement and security forces personnel on the absolute prohibition of torture and the use of force.
Adopt effective measures to ensure that statements and other evidences obtained through torture or Ill treatment are not admitted in evidence in practice.
Improve material conditions in police cells and correctional facilities, separate juveniles from adults and provide adequate health service for prisoners, etc.

Speaking to ALL FACTS NEWSPAPER, the Controller, Corrections Service, Kalu Uche U, commended PRAWA for taking a right step in the right direction, adding that there is need to take the sensitization further to schools, churches, etc for people to understand what torture means.

Earlier in his presentation, one of the resource persons, Honest Offor, noted that torture remains a regularly used tool by law enforcement agencies to fight crime despite enactments prohibiting torture.

[caption id="attachment_121275" align="aligncenter" width="468"] Honest Offor[/caption]

He recommended that issue of torture will reduce drastically if the relevant agencies are provided with good forensic equipment.

Offor added;

"We have help lines for torture, but victims of torture do not call the lines because they don't know what torture entails.ÔÇØ

He called on security personnel to follow the stipulated laws of arrest and detention which includes informing a suspect's family and not keep him in detention without any member of his family being aware of his arrest.