The Nation Newspaper

Tag: human rights

  • Police roadblocks in S/East haven for corruption

    President Muhammadu Buhari has been urged to direct the Inspector-General of Police (IG) to dismantle road blocks mounted by his officers on the South Eastern roads.

    Human Rights, Liberty Access and Peace Foundation (HURIJE), which made the call in a release in Onitsha, on Friday, described the increasing number of checkpoints in the zone as haven for corruption.

    The statement signed by chairman, Board of Trustees (BoT) of HURIJE, Dede Uzor Uzor, revealed that there were over hundred road blocks mounted by the Police in different routes in South East.

    The group said there were not less than 25 road blocks from Onitsha to Owerri, 28 from Enugu-Porthacourt, 16 from Enugu -Owerri, 24 from Onitsha-Enugu, 18 from Onitsha -Orlu, among others.

    “While the Police cited checkmating of criminals as reason for mounting these road blocks, it has become clear that the road blocks have become “oil well” for Police authority, their officers and men.

    “The roadblocks have outlived their usefulness. They don’t provide the expected security again. They have been grossly abused and therefore should be scrapped and dismantled immediately,” it decried.

    The group wondered why the larger chunk of the road blocks were prevalent in the South East, saying “You don’t see much of Police roadblocks in the North and West.”

    It however lauded President Buhari for dismantling the roadblocks mounted by the army in various parts of the South East, saying their removal had brought relief to the people of the zone, especially travelers.

  • UN reviews Nigeria’s human rights record, 13 other countries

    UN highest human rights body, the Human Rights Council (HRC), will start reviewing the track records of Nigeria and 13 other countries on Monday.

    The process is called — Universal Periodic Review (UPR), and the ultimate goal is to improve human rights situation for people around the globe.

    The UPR review sessions take place for two weeks, three times a year, and 14 countries are reviewed in each session – a total of 42 per year.

    This time, the countries will be reviewed in this order: Saudi Arabia, Senegal, China, Nigeria, Mexico, Mauritius, Jordan, Malaysia, the Central African Republic, Monaco, Belize, Chad, Congo and Malta.

    Every four and a half years, the 193 UN Member States undergo interactive review of human rights situation in their countries on rotational basis.

    The idea is to give equal treatment to all the countries and allow them to exchange best practices.

    The Human Rights Council was created in 2006 as part of a general wave of reforms of the UN system, composed of 47 Member States, elected by the UN’s 193 Member States.

    However, any country can take part in the discussions held during a review; each state review is led by group of three countries (known as “troikas”), randomly chosen.

    Information and evidence are presented, and questions are asked by special independent experts (called ‘Special Rapporteurs’), and the UN’s Member States.

    Civil-society organisations can also submit questions and evidence through country representatives.

    The country under review is given a chance to explain the actions they have taken, or plan to take, to address the issues presented.

    Recommendations are officially made, and technical assistance provided where needed, with each country’s review lasting about three and a half hours.

    The UPR assesses the human rights obligations set out in the UN Charter, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the human rights treaties ratified by the reviewed Member State, and International Humanitarian Law.

  • IBA rallies lawyers on rule of law, human rights

    Several lawyers from Nigeria attended this year’s International Bar Association (IBA) conference in Rome, Italy. They spoke to Legal Editor JOHN AUSTIN UNACHUKWU on their experiences.

    Thousands of lawyers from around the world, including Nigeria, gathered in Rome, Italy for the International Bar Association (IBA) conference.

    There were over 200 sessions at the conference, culminating into the rule of law symposium.

    There were also showcases and committee sessions, which offered the chance to hear from the best experts in the field.

    IBA President, Martin Solc, urged lawyers to be warriors for rule of law in their respective countries.

    He said: “Certain core values underpinning democratic civil society are being corrosively eroded. I speak of the rule of law and the battering it is facing in these turbulent global political times.

    “We, as lawyers, cannot ourselves turn the wheels of history, but being the servants of the blindfolded lady holding the sword and the balance, we must do all we can to preserve the rule of law.

    “Not because it is the raison d’etre of our profession. Not because it is what we learned in school. But because as guardians of the rule of law, we understand often better than others that when the rule of law gets suppressed and forgotten, society  falls  under the  uncontrollable rule of individuals with vested interests and, ultimately, dictators.”

    Lawyers seek improvements

    Nigerian lawyers, who attended the conference, spoke to The Nation on their experiences and areas they think the IBA should improve on.

    NBA President, Paul Usoro (SAN) said: “If a session is to start at 10.00 am prompt, it starts at 10.00 on the dot. Another thing that I observed, which I intend to bring home to NBA conference – you noticed that we heard the voices of people introducing speakers, but you didn’t see them.

    “So, that business of having to have a Master of Ceremony coming to spend some bit of time is something that we could cut out because it saves time and it looks more businesslike,” Usoro said.

    Poor organisation mar conference

    Abia State Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice Umeh Kalu (SAN) said the conference did not meet his expectations.

    “IBA must up their game. This conference is a little below the standard we have seen in the past. We must keep pace with what is happening elsewhere,” Kalu said.

    Another SAN, Dr. Livy Uzoukwu, echoed Kalu’s views. “I am a bit disappointed because I had attended so many IBA conferences in the past. This is the only one I found the organisation to be poor.

    “We were given the impression that there would be conference buses to take us from our hotels to the conference venue. But that wasn’t the case.

    “What they did was to select a place where all of us from different hotels would assemble to board a bus. That was not good enough and it was misleading. I hope that this will not happen again. To that extent I am very unhappy with the organisers of this year’s conference.”

    For J.T.U. Nnodum (SAN), there is room for improvement.

    “This is not the best IBA conference that I have attended. I believe that there are still many areas of improvement, but on the whole, it is satisfactory. I must commend the fact that we must improve and make diversity an ingredient of the organisation.

    “We must remember that some people come from Africa, some people come from Nigeria and we have our peculiar needs. These should be attended to.

    “In organising a conference of this magnitude you take into account that a particular people of the membership may need certain specific things because of their own cultural peculiarities and need. Everything shouldn’t be European tailored; there should also be an African flavor,” Nnodum said.

    For Ndukwe Nnawuchi (SAN), the conference fell below the standards of previous years.

    “This year’s IBA conference is not as well-organised. Previous IBA conferences were better. However, there is an improvement in the  contents of the conference bags.

    “But, in terms of other logistics arrangements like the bus shuttles, the  hotels, etc, they were not as well arranged as they ought to be,” Nnawuchi said.

    ‘Security arangement excellent’

    Former Nigerian Institute of Advanced Legal Studies (NIALS) Director-General Prof. Epiphany Azinge (SAN) said the conference venue was of international standard.

    To him, the conference ranked among the best he had attended.

    “I commend in a special way the quality of the speakers, the approach adopted and the areas interrogated.

    “I want to say that there is always room for improvemet but on the score card I will rate this as quite an excellent outing,” Azinge said.

    He said he enjoyed a moot session in which participants were given green cards and red cards to determine their views.

    “Those who felt that the preliminary objection should be upheld were asked to raise the green cards, while those who held contrary views were asked to raise the red card.

    “For me as a teacher, I believe that it was quite innovative and is another way of trying to encourage people to participate.

    “At the end of the day everybody seemed to be happy. The approach was quite innovative for me and I take that away for other uses,” Azinge said.

    Mallam Yusuf Ali (SAN) said his session discussed the responsibilities of government in preventing natural disasters.

    “In all the places where you have these natural disasters, it was foreseeable. For example, in areas that are prone to earthquake, it is foreseeable. Flooding is also foreseable in Nigeria.

    “So, we should begin to hold our governments accountable for such natural occurrences when they happen to the citizens in terms of damages to their property, lives and so on,” Ali said.

    Bauchi State Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Mr H. D. Mohammed said the session on the International Criminal Court (ICC) impressed him the most.

    “I am a prosecutor, so I enjoyed that session most, the challenges, the difficulties and the opportunities we still have there,” he said.

    Mohammed said it was unfortunate Nigeria lacks the facilities to host the IBA.

    ‘My expectations were met’

    Dr Garba Tetengi (SAN) described the conference as “wonderful” and “excellent”, saying it lived up to his expectations “so I commend the organisers.”

    Tetengi also enjoyed the ICC session.

    “More effort is needed from state parties that have signed the convention to ensure  that  there is full implementation of the judgments of the court,” Tetengi said.

    He urged lawyers who can afford it to attend IBA conferences because of the intellectual benefits.

    ‘Mitigating damages’

    Prof Abdulwahab Egbowole, who chaired the session on Negligence and Damages, said: “On  the whole we came to the conclusion that we need to find a way of mitigating damages instead of looking for reliefs for the damages.

    “We also agreed on the need for governments to be more proactive in terms of positioning at the level of budget for damages.

    “We also came to the conclusion that we need to find a division between natural disasters and climate change and that government must try as much as possible to ensure that the evolving climate change challenges must be adequately prepared for.

    “Finally, there was a resolution that it is very important for us as lawyers to take up class  action inspite of the challenge of locus standi that we have in our various laws.”

    Wanted: Voluntary tax system

    Former Lagos Solicitor-General Mr Lawal Pedro (SAN) said he benefitted from the session on tax laws.

    He said the session suggested the need for “more friendly” tax systems.

    “We must have a tax system that commands voluntary compliance and that is what we were shown in that session.

    “When you have a tax system in place that commands voluntary compliance, you spend less money and resources in pursuing people to come and pay tax,” he said.

    He said the use of mediation in resolving tax disputes was also recommended, as it saves time.

    Don Umealor of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) said the conference, his first, was “very rewarding”.

    “We are about four from INEC and we are grateful to the commission for allowing us to be part of this global voice of the legal profession,” he said.

    Activist-lawyer Femi Falana (SAN), speaking after the ICC session, said states should do more to bring perpetrators of crime to book.

    “I wrote to the NBA last year: why don’t you challenge the Attorneys –General for their failure to bring perpetrators of killings to book?

    “Culpable homicide or murder is a state offence, so you cannot even expect the Attorney-General of the Federation to go to Plateau, Zamfara, Taraba, Benue or Adamawa to bring anybody to book.

    “It is the duty of the state Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice.

    “That is what is happening in Lagos State: the alleged notorious kidnapper is being prosecuted by the Lagos State Government.”

    NBA has learnt lessons

    NBA General Secretary Jonathan Gunu Taidi said the assocation would copy most of what IBA does.

    “There is a lot of take away from here so that going forward, we  can replicate all or 98 per cent of what have seen and witnessed here that makes the conference workable, so that our members will  have a seamless conference in 2019.

    “One of the take away is the seamless manner in which the registration is conducted.

    “Once every member pays and registers for a conference, every arrangement should be made for that member as of that date so that when he/she comes to the conference venue, he/ she picks up his material without any much ado.

    “One of the wonderful things I picked up from the IBA is the way  it works.

    “The Legal Practices Division (LPD) is the one that controls all the programmes of the IBA and by extension all the membership of the IBA and they are generating revenue for the association.

    “For now they have over 30 million pounds sterling   in their reserve so that is very healthy for the IBA.

    “We hope to get to that point in Nigeria where our  conferences will be making profits and the profits will be there in the reserve and not only profits that will be declared on paper.”

    For Tawo E. Tawo (SAN), the session on human rights was unique.

    “The opening ceremony was quite exciting and the resource persons on top of the their game. It is indeed a time of great refreshing and intellectual enrichment,”  he said.

    ‘Let’s be time-conscious’

    Ken Njemanze (SAN) said Nigerian lawyers should learn to keep to time.

    “The people are well-organised, friendly and they have been punctual, keeping to time for each programme.

    “These are some of the things lacking in our country and with what we have learnt here, I believe that when we get home, we shall improve our own system,” Njemanze said.

    Mr. Victor Muruako said the conference was “a great improvement the from the one we had in Australia last year”.

    On the session that impressed him most, Muruako said: “Well I belong to several committees here but I have special interest and was fascinated by the session on Public Finance. That is my area of interest considering what we are doing at the Fiscal Responsibility Commission.

    “Even the government of Italy is presently having its own challenges. They are having their budgetary challenges, just like in Nigeria.

    “But the ability of all the institutions to come together to take a common position to find a way out, that is what we need,” he said.

    ‘All sessions add value’

    For Okey Akobundu, outide the huccups of the first day, everything went “like clockwork”.

    “All the sessions I have attended mainly on arbitration and human rights have been on point, nothing lost. Everything is with me and am going home to Nigeria with a lot of things,” he said.

    According to him, some lawyers from Nigeria only attended the opening ceremony .

    “It is not good for Nigeria. All the sessions have value to add to what we are doing back home either in arbitration, human rights, litigation.

    “We should pay more attention to the sessions and advance ourselves. I advise the NBA to learn from IBA and improve our own situation at home a little,” Akobundu said.

    For Steve Abar, the sessions gave him fresh insights into current legal issues in different jurisdictions.

    “We try and learn as much as possible so that at the end of the day we improve our quality of legal service delivery to our clients and the country.

    “The session on Alternative Disputes Resolution (ADR) for me was very illuminating and educative,” he said.

    For Muhammad Adamu, the contents of the conference were highly enriching both in practice and procedure.

    “It is a forum where lawyers interact, exchange ideas in law, practice and developments across the globe and public life,” he said.

    Adamu appreciated the African Regional Forum because “most of the issues in the African region are peculiar and you learn a lot.”

    Ada Edozie said the conference was “world class” and “well-organised”.

    “The session that impressed me most was the session organised by the Negligence and Damages Committee, which looked at natural disasters and the role of governments and their agencies in preventing and mitigating the consequences of such disasters on their citizens.

    “Whether lawyers should represent individual victims or come by way of class action was considered. This makes a great deal of sense to me.”

    Plateau State Local Government Service Commission chairman Mr. Robert Taple said the organisational structure of the conference was wonderful.

    “So we as a leading professional association in Nigeria has a lot to take home from here.

    “The sessions are good because they bring us close to current global trends in our profession.

    “This reinforces our responsibility in the legal profession as the light of the world, review our current status and be in tune with developments in other jurisdictions in line with international best practices,” he said.

    ‘Tackling poverty, inequality’

    Ololade Salami said he found the Poverty, inequality and Social Development session rewarded.

    He said the session ‘opened the eyes’ of lawyers to how they can use their skills to contribute towards poverty alleviation efforts.

    “At the session, erstwhile perception of lawyerly obligations within the narrow confines of application of hard laws in the daily performance of our professional roles was viewed as myopic and therefore a perception in need of attention.

    “In this regard, lawyers are to play more participatory roles beyond the narrow confines of pro bono work or offering of legal aid in court proceedings.

    “Lawyers are to view access to justice in a much broader sense or perspective.

    “This expanded perception entails public advocacy and representation of the needs of the poor in all facets of legal practitioners’ roles, duties and responsibilities, including policy making and law making/law reform where lawyers can and do play major roles.

    “This session was indeed a call to ‘arms’; for lawyers to care more about the poor in the society and to recast their thinking in their professional relationship with the communities they live and operate in,” Salami said.

    Jamila Malafa said the conference examined “very broad and colourful kaleidoscope of themes”.

    He added: “There were lots of interesting topics one would have loved to attend but could not as a result of clash in timings of the sessions.

    “For instance, the assigned times for some sessions were not sufficient enough to discuss the topics and issues raised,” Jamila said.

    ‘Food as right’

    For Nkechinyere Nwachi, her preferred session was on human rights law as it highlighted such issues as where there is no war but there is lack of food, the use of starvation in times of conflict, and why the world cannot cope with providing food for all men.

    “It is universal recognition that all humans have right to food. The concept of denial of food during conflict amounts to denial of human right.

    “Also the use of starvation in times of conflict amounts to violation of human rights of victims to their God given right to food.

    “It is most unfortunate that the resolution on right to food has not been enshrined in the UN Guidelines. Moreso, most member nations do not have provision for right to food in their constitution,” Nwachi said.

  • National security vs human rights 

    One issue of discourse last week was whether it was right for the rule of law to be subject to the nation’s security and national interest.

    That issue which engaged the attention of many Nigerians was set rolling by President Muhammadu Buhari last week Sunday.

    Buhari, at the opening ceremony of the 2018 Nigerian Bar Association Annual General Conference in Abuja, appeared to have stirred a hornet’s nest.

    The President had urged the lawyers to work for judicial reforms and subject the rule of law to national security.

    Buhari had stated, ”In the context of opinions and narratives about our past and present political and socio-economic experience, you cannot afford to jettison rational and proper analysis of issues in a manner which builds, rather than destroys the nation.

    “I also urge you to work to uphold and improve the sanctity and integrity of our judicial and electoral institutions which play a fundamental role in the sustenance and growth of our democracy.

    “However, let me remind you all, my dear compatriots, that the law can only be optimally practiced in a Nigeria that is safe, secure and prosperous.

    “As you go into this Annual Conference, let me assure you of the resolve of this administration to promote measures that will achieve a vibrant economy under which the practice of law will thrive.

    “It is equally significant to emphasize that our willingness to hold persons accountable for offences against society, through the judicial process, will equally transform the future of public service in Nigeria in a positive manner.

    “I believe that lawyers can contribute to another core objective of enhancing our business environment and promoting social justice by promoting respect for the Rule of Law; contributing to the law reform process and putting national interest and professional ethics above self in the conduct of their business.

    “Rule of Law must be subject to the supremacy of the nation’s security and national interest. Our apex court has had cause to adopt a position on this issue in this regard and it is now a matter of judicial recognition that; where national security and public interest are threatened or there is a likelihood of their being threatened, the individual rights of those allegedly responsible must take second place, in favour of the greater good of society,” he stated.

    While some Nigerians have criticised the position of the President on the issue, others believed that it is a good development for the country. Some Nigerians also called on the Federal Government to endeavour to strike a balance between human rights of Nigerians and national security.

    Those supporting the President’s position believed that it took its foundation from the fact that the rule of law can only exist when the national interest and security is secured in a state of peace and tranquility.

    They argued that the fundamental rights of citizens are not absolute as they could be limited.

    The power to determine what constitutes a threat to national security and national interest, according to them, is for now solely vested in the executive arm of government.

    But criticising the President’s remark, the NBA, in a statement said it “completely rejects the presidential statement subordinating the Rule of Law to National Security”.

    “The NBA restates that the Rule of Law is central to a democracy and any National Security concerns by the government must be managed within the perimeters and parameters of the Rule of Law.” it stated

    Among the eminent Nigerians who also criticized the President’s position included the Nobel laureate, Professor Wole Soyinka.

    To him, the rule of law should not be suspended for the sake of national security or interest.

    Soyinka, in a statement, said: “Here we go again! At his first coming, it was ‘I intend to tamper with Freedom of the Press’ and Buhari did proceed to suit action to the words, sending two journalists Irabor and Thompson to prison as a reward for their professional integrity.

    “Now, a vague, vaporous, but commodious concept dubbed ‘national interest’ is being trotted out as alibi for flouting the decisions of the Nigerian judiciary.

    “The timing is perfect, and we have cause to be thankful for the advance warning, since not all rulers actually make a declaration of intent, but simply proceed to degrade the authority of the law as part of the routine business of governance. We have been there before.

    “It should be of mere interest, not despondency, that this latest proclamation of dictatorial recidivism has also been made before an assembly of officers of the law, the Nigerian Bar Association. We expect a robust response from the NBA as part of its conclusions.

    “There is no short cut to democracy. The history of law, even where uncodified, is as old as humanity.

    “Numerous rulers have tried again and again to annul that institution. Sometimes, they appear to succeed, but in the end, they pay heavy forfeit. So does society.

    “The Rule of Law, however, outlasts all subverters, however seemingly powerful. If the consequences for society in defence of the Rule of Law were not so costly, any new attempt would be merely banal and boring, hardly deserving of attention. We know, historically, where it will all end.” he added

    But Human Rights lawyer, Femi Falana believed that the Government should respect the human rights of Nigerians while ensuring protection of national security and interests at the same time.

    Falana advocated for both national security and human rights to co-exist together as one should not give way completely to the other.

    He said, ”In democratic societies, human rights are at the core of national security itself. I posit that the purpose of national security should be to protect democracy and enhance democratic principles.

    “It is problematic to place the security of the state entirely above the interests of individual citizens. Placing security concerns in direct opposition to human rights creates a false dichotomy. Each is essential for ensuring that a society is free and secure. Privileging one over the other can have unintended negative consequences.”

    “National security must be reduced to its absolute minimum, what I call a democratic conception of national security. The use of extraordinary measures in the name of national security for any other purpose should be discouraged. Nigeria’s national security institutions must be effectively regulated and made accountable,” he said.

    “The extent that the protection of these rights are guaranteed signifies the democratic strength of a country, as human rights and the rule of law are crucial to the well-being of any truly democratic society.

    “Good governance requires the rule of law. Having good laws on the statue books is not enough. Laws must be implemented and enforced fairly and consistently in a transparent way or they risk becoming dead letters or, worse, instruments of oppression. There must therefore be some separation of powers and an independent judiciary.

    “The government must adopt broad-ranging measures geared to develop an effective institution with an appropriate organisational culture for a democratic society as well as the direct and mandatory involvement of the National Assembly in after-the-fact review. In the final analysis, it is essential to place further legal limitations on government’s use of special national security measures.

    “Since the security of the government in power is always equated with national security the police and security agencies have concentrated their attention on monitoring the activities of human rights activists and opposition figures in the country,” he said.

    Efforts should really be made by those concerned to ensure that national security and interest is not threatened while respecting the human rights of Nigerians.

  • Violent domestic servants on the prowl

    •   Experts reveal why they are turning into monsters

    On a fateful day at a wryly coloured bungalow in Awawu, Mushin, Lagos, Toyin Aribilola, mother of a six-month-old baby, had just finished her household chores. She decided to have a nap, but she was barely asleep when some frantic knocks on the door in the next compound jolted her back to life. A man who had photographed her neigbour’s nine-month-old baby had turned up with copies of the photoraphs but his repeated knocks on the neigbour’s door were not responded to. Aware that her neigbour had left her baby in the care of a maid in the house, she was surprised that the knocks on the door would not wake up 17-year-old Esther hired from Benin Republic.

    Getting into the house, she found Esther lying on the bed with the baby covered up beside her. Removing the wrapper around the baby, the sight that confronted Aribilola shook her to the marrow. “Jesus!” she exclaimed as other persons rallied around her. Little Seun lay lifeless on the bed with his head severed. Esther, the maid, had also sustained some injuries from trying to maul herself with a knife after she killed Baby Seun. Esther gave no reason for her actions, while Aribilola and other neigbours ended up spending three days in police cell.

    Although the sordid incident occurred in 1979, the gory details have not been erased from her mind almost four decades after, even as she narrated the story to The Nation.

    “I’ve never contemplated hiring a maid since then. I raised my six children without an extra hand, but it was tough. I advised my children never to hire a house help if they want to have a happy home. It is the same for female and male house helps. A larger percentage of them are evil,” she said, fixing her gaze on her android phone as if in a bid to distract herself from the memory of that day.

    Broken skull, rotten body, kidnapped kids and other stories

    The story of domestic servants who turn around to hurt their employers have continued to make the rounds. Early in the year, Mistura Sikiru, a civil servant who teaches in a secondary school in Lagos, was rushed to the Intensive Care Unit of the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital, Ikeja. Susan Samson, an 18-year-old maid who was employed less than a month earlier had smashed a bottle of wine on Mistura’s head after bathing her with blended pepper. Mistura had suspected the Cross River-born maid of stealing money from her bag and had called to inform her agent. She then locked the door and waited for the agent to come. But in a desperate bid to escape from the house, Samson poured blended pepper on Mistura while she laid on the bed. Not done, she grabbed a champagne bottle and smashed it on Mistura’s head repeatedly until she passed out. It was Mistura’s cry for help that attracted residents who rushed into the house to apprehend her attacker.

    Not many will forget the kidnap case involving the Orekoya kids—three children kidnapped from their Surulere home by Funmilayo, a maid hired through an online business site, OLX. Unknown to the family, Funmilayo was running a kidnaping ring in collaboration with her husband. She kidnapped the three children a day after she was hired and kept them in a Lagos suburb before the hand of the law caught up with her.

    Sometimes when evil domestic servants strike, their victims may not be alive to tell the story. The gruesome murder of Prof. Albert Ilemobade, a former Vice-Chancellor of Federal University of Technology Akure (FUTA) is a case in point. Ilemobade,

    lifeless body was found decomposing inside the garage in his Ijapo Estate home in Akure, was killed by two of his domestic workers—Olayemi Bamitale, his former driver, and Daniel Ita, the security guard. The duo had called him into the compound and strangled him to death after making a false claim about a fire alarm. They later admitted to committing the offence with the aim of stealing Ilemobade’s recently purchased Toyota RAV 4 SUV. His lifeless body was then dropped at the store near the car park so that people would not see it.

    In some other cases, housemaids have been known to deliberately add poison to their employers’ meals. One of such instances, which happened in Ondo, had a 14-year-old housemaid as the mastermind. According to the statement written by her employer, Alhaji Nasiru Akinlosotu, the teenager was asked to cook beans for the family but she added rat poison to Akinlosotu’s portion. While eating the beans, Akinlosotu sensed that the food had a strange taste and an offensive odour. He vomited the little he had swallowed and asked the maid about the content of the food.

    “It was in the course of interrogation by our neighbour that the maid confessed that she put rat poison in my own share of the food. She also confessed that she decided to add poison to my food because I beat her any time she committed an offence in the house.”

    In a bid to gain unfettered access into the inner rooms of their employers to steal jewelry and cash from their Lekki residence, Victor Hounkpe and David Amusu, two cooks from Benin Republic, conspired to poison their employers’ meals with a sleep-inducing substance.

    Hounkpe, who committed the offence few days after he was employed, had prepared a pot of vegetable soup for the family and served the food for dinner. A few minutes later, Chinaka Nwogu, the employer, complained of stomach upset and was rushed to the hospital by his wife. The wife also began to complain of severe stomach ache and eventually collapsed at the hospital gate.

    Hounkpe was later apprehended by operatives of the Department of Criminal Investigation (DCI), Panti, Yaba, Lagos, and he confessed to putting some substances in the food, adding that David Amusu, the former cook who recommended him to his employers, gave him the substance and also told him how to administer it. His role was to open the door for Amusu and other members of the gang. The victims, Chinaka Nwogu and his wife, Omowunmi, had to be transferred to a hospital outside the country for emergency treatment. Apart from the couple, two domestic staff who also ate from the vegetable soup became unconscious and were hospitalised.

    An unheard true life story

    Misdeeds by housemaids have become so rife in the society that not many make it to the pages of newspapers. The Nationspoke with some people who also had bitter tales to share. One of them, a 32-year-old lady, who wants her identity concealed, narrated how a maid hired to care for her bedridden mother turned out not to only maltreat the woman but also steal from the household.

    She said: “We needed a nanny to stay with her from 7 am to 6 pm. So we employed a 36-year-old woman. Initially, we were happy with her service because she was good at changing Mama’s diaper and arranging her bed. Although she takes care of Mama and plays with her when I was around, I began to have reservations about her in my spirit. I noticed that my money started getting missing. Other people in the house also made similar observations.

    “There was a day my elder brother’s wife and I were going out and she dropped her bag in the sitting room. By the time we got to our destination, we realised that money had been stolen from the bag. It happened the second and third time. That was when we decided to confront her. She still did not own up until she was caught red handed on a Thursday morning while trying to steal money from my mother’s bag.

    “The victim decided to set up a camera in the house when she noticed that Mama was not sleeping well. The footage later showed that the maid was not only stealing money, she was also maltreating the ailing woman, threatening to deal with her if she dared to report that she was pilfering things from the house.

    “She also stole my jewelries and my mum’s provisions. Though I paid her the minimum wage, I still bought things for her. She handled my mum so roughly that the poor woman who had stroke hit her leg on something and the wound did not heal until after a month, leaving a scar.

    “The most surprising thing was that even when she was caught, she was not sober. It was only when we got to the police station that she admitted her fault and pleaded for leniency.”

    An industry in need of monitoring

    Asked about the reason for the rise in violence from domestic servants, Betty Abah, the Executive Director, Centre for Children’s Health Education, Orientation and Protection, said the monstrosity of many house helps is system-induced.

    Abah said: “Many of them, especially those who started as very little children, grew up in a system where they are never shown any love and never regarded as fellow humans within the circles of families they are sent to work.

    “Many are physically brutalised, emotionally traumatised, sexually abused, and generally treated as disposables. With time, they become monsters unable to offer love to anyone they encounter and sometimes unable to receive love also.”

    Calling for stringent regulations in the process of employing house helps, she offered that the misdeeds could be prevented if house helps are conscious of the fact that resorting to impunity may land them in prison or shut the doors against future employment.

    “If they are blacklisted, then they would be careful. And that is if there is detailed profiling. But sadly, that is hardly the case,” she lamented.

    Assessing the issue from the gender perspective, Olabisi Aina, a professor of Sociology and Gender Studies at the Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Osun State, said gender roles play a part in the spate of violence recorded among domestic servants within the country.

    Aina said: “You should not be a woman or have female children and you want to employ a male as house help. Sex roles also affect the way domestic servants think. When you have a male mopping the floor, bathing the children and doing other things that tradition assigns to woman, he may start growing resentment and could lash out the frustration on the employer or her children,” Aina opined.

    To mitigate the trend, Aina further admonished that the Nigerian government should regulate the sector by keying into the United Nations 189 convention for domestic workers. The convention, which has been ratified by 25 countries in the world with only Guinea and South Africa from the African continent, stipulates that a minimum age should be set for entry into domestic service.

    Articles of the convention also advance the concept of countries taking measures to ensure work performed by domestic workers under the age of 18 and above the minimum age of employment does not deprive them of compulsory education or interfere with opportunities to participate in further education or vocational training.

    Other requirements of the convention include ensuring that domestic workers enjoy effective protection against all forms of harassment and violence as well as decent working conditions and respect for their privacy should they reside in the household.

    A change in perception

    Speaking on viable solutions to the problems of misdemeanor by domestic servants, Prof. Aina said perception has to change about how services provided by domestic service are viewed and appreciated.

    She said: “The U.N Domestic Servant Convention 189 is a global phenomenon and people have accepted it. Regulating the sector is critical since domestic service also contributes to the economy. These people play a critical role and it is important to value the service they render. We have to see what they do as decent work. It will affect their mental state and they will feel better about their job.”

    She also called on government to put in place a social protection law which would ensure that youths who are out of employment will not be forced into domestic work that may affect their mental well-being.

    At both the state and federal levels, there is no agency in Nigeria regulating the profiling of domestic servants in the country. This has left some gaps, some of which have resulted in irreparable losses and untold hardship.

    Only recently, the Speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly, Mr Mudashiru Obasa, said profiling of house helps will help to ensure they are traceable when they get involved in child abuse or criminal tendencies.

    Obasa, who said this at the Public Hearing on a Bill for a Law for the Registration of Domestic Staff Service Providers in Lagos State and for other Connected Purposes, said the objective of the proposed law is to register domestic staff service providers operating in Lagos State.

    Hide original message

    “The services of all domestic staff, be it house helps, drivers, gardeners, security men or others, are quite germane. The bill will also outlaw hiring of underage as domestic staff,” Obasa said.

    Also, Mrs Adefunmilayo Tejuosho, the Chairman, House Ad hoc Committee on Judiciary, Human Rights, Public Petitions and Lagos State Independent Electoral Commission (LASIEC), affirmed that the bill was essential to make homes safe.

    “There is no way a man or woman can provide the best service at the workplace if their homes are not in safe hands. This bill is very germane,” she said.

  • UK regrets U.S. withdrawal from UN Human Rights Council

    The United Kingdom has expressed regret over the decision of the U.S. to withdraw from the UN Human Rights Council.

    UK Foreign Secretary, Boris Johnson, in a statement by the United Kingdom Mission to the UN, said Britain wants to see a reformed council but would work for it from within.

    “The United States’ decision to withdraw from the Human Rights Council is regrettable.

    “We’ve made no secret of the fact that the UK wants to see reform of the Human Rights Council, but we are committed to working to strengthen the Council from within,’’ Johnson said.

    The U.S., while announcing its withdrawal, said the “Council has become an exercise in shameless hypocrisy – with many of the world’s worst human rights abuses going ignored and some of the world’s most serious offenders sitting on the council itself’’.

    It also said the council’s membership includes authoritarian governments with unambiguous and abhorrent human rights records, such as China, Cuba, and Venezuela.

    Read Also: Boko Haram: UN tasks Nigeria on stigmatisation of girls

    “And the council’s continued and well-documented bias against Israel is unconscionable.

    “Since its creation, the council has adopted more resolutions condemning Israel than against the rest of the world combined,’’ the U.S. said.

    The UK said, however, that the council was the best tool for the international community to address global impunity.

    “Britain’s support for the Human Rights Council remains steadfast.

    “It is the best tool the international community has to address impunity in an imperfect world and to advance many of our international goals.

    “That’s why we will continue to support and champion it,’’ Johnson said.

  • Foundation trains 17,000 police officers on human rights

    Crime Victims Foundation of Nigeria (CRIVIFON) has trained 17,000 police officers on human rights.

    Its Executive Director, Mrs Gloria Egbuji, disclosed this in her address at the 25th graduation  of Police  Human Rights Officers held at the Police College, Ikeja.

    Mrs Egbuji said her foundation decided to focus on the Police to re-orientate them and improve the image of the force.

    She commended the Lagos State government for its support in the training of the Police officers on human rights.

    The foundation, particularly, praised the Directorate of Public Prosecution (DPP) for its support in training the rank and file of the state Police Command on how to write and file charges and on investigation of crimes to prevent situations where innocent persons would be charged to court unknowingly.

    For her zeal and passion for justice reforms in the DPP, Mrs Titilayo Shitta-Bey invested with the  Star Award of Appreciation in appreciation of her support in training of Police Officers in Human Rights issues.

    In her response, the DPP thanked the foundation for the award and promised to assist it in any capacity to move the state forward and improve on her human right index.

    CRIVIFON was established in 2006, to further educate the Police on the rules and their roles in fighting crimes in the society.

  • Orange the world: Women’s rights are human rights – UNIC

    Orange the world: Women’s rights are human rights – UNIC

    It was an onset of the harmattan season on a dusty December morning in Zaria, Kaduna State, North-West Nigeria. The students, all girls, arrived in droves, eager to participate and host an educational briefing on the 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence in their school, Government Girls Secondary School, Fada Zaria City. The educational briefing was organised by the United Nations Information Centre (UNIC) Lagos in collaboration with UN Women and Arewa Women And Youth Empowerment (AWAYE) Foundation.

    Excited by the gift of thousands of orange scarfs and a few branded T-shirts to ‘Orange the world’, the students, numbering over 2,500, assembled and carved out a space for their drama presentation on ending violence against women and girls. They set the ball rolling quickly and set the stage on fire as they highlighted, through drama presentation, issues of domestic violence, sexual harassment in school, girl-child labour, and challenges of girls’ health, among others. In all these, the importance of the traditional institution was emphasised as the Emir’s scene was constantly on the front burner.

    “Women’s rights are human rights. When a woman’s rights are violated, then her human rights have been infringed upon. Today we bring the message of ending violence against women & girls.” The National Information Officer of the United Nations Information Centre (UNIC) Lagos, Dr Oluseyi Soremekun, took the cue from the drama presentations. He emphasised that domestic violence was not a family affairs but a human rights issue.

    He noted that the 16 days of activism against gender-based violence started on 25 November, the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, and would end on 10 December, the Human Rights Day. Explaining the 2017 theme, ‘Leave No One Behind: End Violence Against Women and Girls’, Dr Soremekun said that it ‘reinforces the UNiTE Campaign’s commitment to a world free from violence for all women and girls around the world, while reaching the most underserved and marginalized, including refugees, migrants, minorities, indigenous peoples, and populations affected by conflict and natural disasters, amongst others, first.’

    According to him, leaving no one behind, specifically women and girls that are threatened by or are suffering violence, or have been subjected to it in the past, requires resources, policies, commitments and programmes that focus on reaching the most marginalized communities. To end violence against women and bring change, the National Information Officer urged the students to raise their voices and speak out against any act of gender-based violence.

    Speaking, Ms Iris Nxumalo, representing UN Women, highlighted the need for determination to speak out and bring change. She urged everyone, “Let’s Say ‘NO’ and UNiTE to End Violence Against Women and Girls during and after the 16 days of activism period.”

    Addressing the students, the Principal of Government Girls Secondary School, Fada Zaria, Hajiya Safiya Abdul, thanked the UN team for the educational programme and informed the students that all women and girls deserve to live a life free from violence and fear. She implored them to report any act of gender-based violence directed at them.

    In her remarks, the Founder of AWAYE, Hajiya Laila Muhammad urged the students to speak out against gender-based violence. The 16 days started on 25 November, the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, and ends on 10 December, the Human Rights Day.

  • Obaseki to World leaders: Build enduring structures to guarantee rights

    Obaseki to World leaders: Build enduring structures to guarantee rights

    The Governor of Edo State, Mr Godwin Obaseki, has called on world leaders to build structures and create enabling environment for people to express their inalienable and God-given rights.

    He added that given the intricate role it places in ensuring that people are prioritised in quest for advancement, good governance should be elevated to become a human right for electorates the world over.

    Obaseki said this on the occasion of the commemoration of International Human Rights Day, declared by the United Nations Assembly in 1948, which led to the adoption of the International Declaration of Human Rights in Paris, France.

    He added that the need for structures and spaces that guarantee the expression of human rights is sacrosanct and a genuine cause, as human rights should never be thought of as a privilege, but as God-given and inalienable.

    According to him, “It is important for world leaders and anyone charged with the responsibility of leading the people to continue to make structures available to guarantee and protect human rights. This is necessary not only because it allows for peace and unity, but because it ensures that people are given the right to be themselves and aspire to whatever heights they deem fit.

    “It is key to point out the fact that much as we are plagued with issues that demand that people are guaranteed their basic rights here, in some climes, there are continuing debates on what should constitute human rights.

    “The right to internet access, for instance, is being debated to be elevated to the status of human right. It is in the same vein that the right to good governance should be considered a human right in this clime. So also should be the right to technical education, given our level of development and role of technical skills in advancing society.”

    Human rights, he said, includes but not limited to the right to be protected against enslavement, noting that the episode with immigrants in Libya, requires a global action to protect the rights of immigrants who are being held captive.

    The International Human Rights Day came into force, in 1948. Ever since, there have been raged debates about the rights to be included within the framework of human rights, but many scholars and public policy experts agree that human rights should be a minimum requirement to avoid worst-case abuses, while others see it as a higher standard.

    This year’s celebration is devoted to the launch of a year-long campaign for the 50thanniversary of the two International Covenants on Human Rights, namely: the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, which were adopted by the United Nations General Assembly on 16 December 1966.

  • Speaker Dogara, Bruce, Others to Brainstorm on Terrorism and Human Rights

    Speaker Dogara, Bruce, Others to Brainstorm on Terrorism and Human Rights

    Speaker, House of Representatives, Hon. Yakubu Dogara and Senator Ben Bruce have been nominated to join other international speakers and stakeholders in continuation of efforts to curb activities and impact of terrorism in Nigeria in a seminar put together by a civil society organisation: Save Humanity Advocacy Centre (SHAC).

    The seminar tagged, “Global War Against Terrorism: For Nigeria, A Choice Between Law and Life”, is expected to add impetus and proffer solution to Nigeria’s commitment to getting rid of terrorism and its impact on her national life.
    Addressing a press conference in Abuja on Tuesday, the Executive Secretary of SHAC, Ibrahim Abubakar explained that the seminar has become imperative in view of some subjective assessment done on the fight against terror by the organized force in Nigeria, adding that there was a need for collective and objective assessment of the war.
    Abubakar stressed that SHAC has spent quality time over the years monitoring crisis situations across the country and in recent years concentrated both in the North and south-eastern part of the country.
    “In the course of our work, we have noted that ongoing conflicts across the world have been assessed with such worrying relativity that the issues are easily confused. The standards for evaluation are dangerously fluid and definitions constantly shift depending on who is doing the evaluation, who is being evaluated and where the evaluation is taking place.
    “With Nigeria and the Boko Haram terror group, this kind of subjective assessment of the crisis situation has proven to be out-rightly dangerous and sometimes purely irresponsible when viewed against the greater responsibility to humanity, which is safeguarding the wellbeing of local populations that are the victims of terror attacks. The legitimate authorities – military and security agencies that are saddled with curtailing these terrorists are now branded as if they are the ones committing crimes when in reality they are the ones preventing further carnage against the innocent civilian populations.

    SHAC Executive Secretary maintained that the attempt sometimes to make military and security personnel fighting Boko Haram and other threats to the sovereignty of Nigeria appear like criminals is often hidden behind acceptable global standards for human rights observance by military and law enforcement agencies but noted that there were a lot of greyness on what the standards are as they tend to take on different definitions while acquiring new details where Nigeria is involved.

    He said it was in the light of the damage the crisis has brought on the land and the views expressed with a view to thwarting the efforts of the government to end the menace that the seminar is planned to attempt in correcting the ills.
    “It is therefore imperative that the issues around humanitarian and human rights issues are better articulated to put both practitioners and citizens in a better position to understand what is at stake. This is why the Save Humanity Advocacy Centre (SHAC) is organizing a two-day seminar that will assemble stakeholders to interrogate the issues and proffer useful suggestions on how to proceed in the times ahead.”
    According to SHAC, participants are drawn from Nigeria and abroad to cover those working in crisis management, academics, judiciary and NGOs. These participants boast a collection of people that have proven pivotal in shaping how Nigeria is perceived.
    The Seminar will take place between Wednesday December 13th and Thursday December 14th 2017 at the Shehu Yar’Adua Centre, Abuja.