Nigerian Army Gets Human Rights Desk

Fri, Feb 19, 2016
By publisher
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Political Briefs

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THE Nigerian Army has established a human rights desk at its headquarters in Abuja. This, according to Tukur Buratai, a lieutenant-general and chief of Army Staff, is to ensure that the army under his leadership will investigate all cases of human rights complaints brought before it.

Buratai, who was represented by Rogers Nicholas, a major-general and chief of Civil-Military Affairs, at the commissioning of the desk, on Friday, February 19, said the event marked another important day in the history of Nigerian Army by establishing the human rights office.

He noted that the establishment of the desk office was borne out of the increasing interest of the local and international human rights bodies on what the Nigerian Army is doing in the North-East and other parts of the country.

Buratai promised that the force would close up the gap with the civil populace, human rights bodies and civil society organisations.

He said: “The concept note for the efforts of the Human Rights office in the Army Headquarters, AHQ, was as a result of increasing interest of local and international human rights organisations and institutions in the Nigerian Army human relations footprints but specifically in areas of our operations in northeast.

“The nature of inquiries and commentaries from these institutions requires a response of professional and specialised in nature by the NA. What we are witnessing today has been facilitated by the Nigerian Bar Association, NBA, and National Human Rights Commission, NHRC.”

—  Feb 29, 2016 @ 01:00 GMT

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