NHRC says working with Civil Society Organizations will enable the Commission bridge the gap between it and people in rural areas who suffer various forms of human rights violations.

Executive Secretary of the Commission,

Tony Ojukwu Esq. stated this when the Country Director of Women for Women International,(WFWI) Mrs Bukola Onyishi led a delegation of her organization on a working visit to the Commission.

Ojukwu pledged commitment of the Commission to partner with Women for Women International particularly in areas of capacity building for women in rural areas to identify human rights violations and seek redress when such rights are violated.

The Country Director of WFWI, Mrs Bukola Onyishi informed the Executive Secretary that WFWI is already working in Enugu,Plateau, and Bauchi States where 60,000 women have been given human rights education and skills to live a better life.

She said they were in the Commission to seek partnership for the purposes of building the capacity of women to enable them enjoy their rights, having acquired a means of livelihood.

According to Mrs Onyishi, partnership with the Commission will enable WFWI reach out to more women and men who would benefit from human rights education and legal services.

NHRC, HURIDAC SIGNS MOU ON HUMAN RIGHTS

The National Human Rights Commission and Human Rights Advancement, Development and Advocacy Centre(HURIDAC) have signed an MOU in key areas to deepen the work of Human rights promotion and protection in

Nigeria.

Executive Secretary NHRC ,Tony Ojukwu Esq who signed the MOU on behalf of the Commission stated that capacity building is key to re-positioning the Commission to effectively discharge its mandate.

Ojukwu said there is need to constantly monitor and deal with various human rights violations including electoral violence, extra-judicial killings kidnappings and gender based violence to safeguard citizens rights.

Earlier the Executive Director HURIDAC Mr Ayodele Ameen stated that the capacity gaps of staff of the Commission need to be addressed to enable them undertake research into emerging human rights challenges.

Ameen challenged the Commission to leverage on artificial intelligence and social media to advance the course of Human rights promotion and protection in the country.

He stated that his organization is interested in strengthening the monitoring work of the NHRC and HURIDAC so as to ensure effective tracking,reporting and litigation of human rights violations in Nigeria.

According to him HURIDAC is interested in working with the Commission to monitor human rights violations ahead of the 2019 general elections.

INVESTIGATING SEXUAL VIOLENCE IN CONFLICT SITUATION A SERIOUS CHALLENGE—NHRC

NHRC Executive Secretary, Tony Ojukwu says that investigating allegations of sexual violence especially in a conflict situation constitutes a serious challenge.

The situation he said is made more difficult owing to the social stigma associated with the crime which makes it difficult for victims to provide evidence.

Ojukwu stated this in Abuja over the weekend while receiving a delegation from the office of the Special Representative of the UN Secretary General on Sexual Violence in Conflict led by Ms Sofia Coelho Candeias in his office.

The team was at the Commission to inquire among other issues about the Amnesty Report claim of Sexual Violence taking place in IDPs camps in the North East.

According to the Executive Secretary as soon as the report was made public the Commission swung into action by setting up a panel to thoroughly investigate the complaints but regretted the poor response from both the victims and members of the society.

“We even placed advertorials in newspapers calling for memoranda or any information that will assist the Commission in establishing the veracity of the claim but nobody came up” He said.

Ojukwu said the Commission is willing to collaborate with any organisations including Amnesty International to investigate any allegations of sexual violence taking place especially in the IDPs camps.

FREE FLOW OF INFORMATION ESSENTIAL IN CIVIL/MILITARY RELATIONS

The National Human Rights Commission says mutual trust and free flow of information between the civil populace and the Military are crucial towards achieving human rights friendly security operations in Nigeria.

Executive Secretary of the Commission, Tony Ojukwu esq stated this in Abuja at a Civil-Military Relations Accountability Forum organized by the NHRC in collaboration with CLEEN Foundation and Institute of Peace and Conflict Resolution.

Ojukwu who was represented at the occasion by the Assistant Director Legal, Mr. Halilu Adamu said that as a way of addressing allegations of rights violations against the Military, the Commission ensured that human rights desks are established in all Military Services and appointment of a human rights Adviser to the Chief of Defense Staff among other interventions.

According to the NHRC boss Civil Military Relations Forum has provided a formidable platform for security operatives to tell their own story and for members of the public to peer review their operations in line with human rights standards.

The 2019 Human Rights Summit and Award organised by the National Human Rights commission in Collaboration with other Stakeholders took Place Between 8-10th December 2019. The summit which attracted over 250 participants all over the country has as its Theme: ADOPTING RIGHTS- BASED APPROACH IN THE PUBLIC SECTOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT AGENDA.
The outcome of the Summit according to Executive Secretary, NHRC Tony Ojukwu Esq will assist Nigeria in fulfilling its international regional and national human rights obligations.

(NHRC) has condemned in strong terms the alleged rape of a 13-year-old girl, Ochanya Ochiga by one Andrew Ogbuja of Benue State Polytechnic and his son, Victor Ogbuja, respectively, which incident led to her death.

Accordingly, the Executive Secretary of the Commission, Mr. Tony Ojukwu has requested the Inspector General of Police (IGP), and the Benue state Attorney General and Commissioner of Justice among others to ensure that the perpetrators of the dastardly act are properly brought to book.

Receiving preliminary report on the matter conducted by the Benue state office of the Commission, Mr. Ojukwu who was visibly angry expressed shock that the little Ochanya, a minor, could pass through the sad experience in the hands of the supposed guardian.

The Executive Secretary promised that the Commission will work with relevant authorities including the Benue state Ministry of Justice and the Police to ensure that the culprits are prosecuted in accordance with the law. Accordingly, he has directed the Benue office of the Commission to hold a watching brief on the matter throughout the prosecution of the matter in court.

He urged the Police to intensify efforts to apprehend one of the suspects, Victor Ogbuja who is allegedly on the run, to face prosecution. The Executive Secretary assured that the Commission will monitor all the processes and mount advocacy around protection of young persons and women from rape and other related sexual assaults and will create awareness of the Violence Against Persons Prohibition (VAPP) Act.

Mr. Ojukwu said the Commission is working assiduously to promote legislations that protect the rights of the girl child stating that the Child’s Rights Act passed since 2003 has so far been adopted by 24  out of the 36 states in Nigeria. He stated that the Commission will be carrying another round of nationwide sensitization campaign on Child’s Rights Act 2003 to further scale up awareness on the rights of the child including sexual violence and other related human rights issues.

He noted that there are inadequate reportage of rape cases and other forms of sexual violence due to fear of stigmatization urging victims, their relations, and members of the public to always come forward and report such cases to the appropriate authorities so as to ensure accountability for such violations.