The Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) has expressly condemned the arbitrary use of remand orders by magistrates and judges.
The NBA President, Afam Osigwe (SAN), who made the condemnation on Tuesday in Abuja at an event commemorating the 2024 International Human Rights Day, said the remand orders serve as tools to harm people.
However, the Attorney-General of the Federation, Prince Lateef Fagbemi (SAN), and the Chairman of the National Human Rights Commission, Tony Ojukwu (SAN), extolled Nigeria’s progress in upholding human rights standards.
Speaking in Abuja, Osigwe noted that while human rights are like life itself, “promoting them is a tall order in Nigeria, as there are a number of factors hindering the progress.”
He said: “Sadly, on numerous occasions, the very institutions meant to protect these rights are instead used by powerful individuals as tools to violate them. The use of the courts as tools to keep people continually in custody is unacceptable.”
He afterwards stated that there should be judges and magistrates on call as obtained in medicine.
The keynote speaker, Ayo Obe, emphasised that promoting human rights was non-negotiable and should always be upheld.
The First Vice President of the NBA and Chairman of the Human Rights Institute, Sebastian Anya, said the NBA had achieved a laudable feat, as all its branches were involved in the campaign of awareness on human rights, the first time in the history of the association.
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He said during the period of the 16 days of activism, “NBA was able to reconcile and settle about 250 cases of gender-based violence across the country, freed 105 suspects in police stations across the country and with the help of the chief judges of the 36 states and the FCT, released about 86 inmates from the correctional centres.
“The stories of some of these suspects and inmates freed/released are very pathetic. It would have been any of us if not by the grace of God.”
The AGF, however, in his address, argued that Nigeria had made remarkable progress in promoting and protecting human rights.
He said the Federal Government was working to ensure that the rights of all Nigerians and every person living in the country were respected, protected, and fulfilled.
“We are committed to ensuring that our laws, policies, and practices are aligned with international human rights standards.
“I assure all Nigerians that the government of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is a human rights-friendly and listening government.
“Amongst other commendable steps taken by this government in the interest of justice and human rights is the discontinuation of the prosecution of children and young persons arraigned in court for treason, following the #EndBadGovernance protests of August and October 2024,” Fagbemi said.
On his part, the NHRC Chairman, Anthony Okechukwu Ojukwu said International Human Rights Day was not just an opportunity to remember and re-echo the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which came on board 76 years ago, but a time to take stock of the level of compliance to the important human rights instrument.
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