The decision by Nigeria’s Acting President, Prof Yemi Osinbajo, to set up a commission to review compliance with human rights obligations by the country’s military authorities has received commendations.
The seven-man judicial commission headed by Justice Biobele Georgewill of the Court of Appeal would ensure compliance of the Nigerian Armed Forces with human rights obligation and internationally accepted rules of engagement, especially in local conflict and insurgency situations like that in the northeastern part of the country.
The Leadership Transformation and Empowerment Initiative (LITE-Africa), a leading Non-Governmental Organization in Nigeria and the co-chair of the in-country-implementation working group in the Voluntary Principles, gave the commendation in a statement made available to Delta Newsroom.
The statement, signed by its Executive Director, Hon Joel Bisina, noted that series of internal security challenges currently confront Nigeria, which has necessitated the intervention of the armed forces in checking escalation of conflicts and providing security.
However, certain reports by some local and international groups and the media have been critical of these military operations, accusing them of frequently running-foul of the rules of engagement in carrying out such operations, the statement said.
It urged the government to extend the review of the military operations, which is aimed at improving on Nigeria’s human rights records by reducing conflicts and extra-judicial killings, to military activities around oil and gas industry in the country.
The statement reads: “Some of the accusations border on the excessive use of force, which oftentimes results in extra-judicial killings.
“We, therefore urge the Commission to get down to the brass task by thoroughly assessing the problems and prospects of effective internal enforcement and also looking at the areas of business and human rights as well as the integration of voluntary principles in the extractive industry in protecting human rights, promoting development, and avoiding or reducing conflict.
“We advise that the review should be comprehensive including review on deployment of security operatives for the protection of oil and gas assets where excessive uses of force have exacerbated conflict and compromise human rights values in the past.
“We also urge that the review should integrate the development a comprehensive rules of engagement that integrate and incorporate the values in the Voluntary Principles.”
