By Omobanle Shosanya
Avocats Sans Frontières France (ASF France), has emphasized the need for improvements in the operations of the police in relations to the use of torture in the discharge of their duties and efficient resolution of complaints.
Country Director of ASF France in Nigeria, Angela Uzoma-Iwuchukwu,offered this on her opening address of the group’s training for fifteen (15) officers of the Police Complaints Response Unit (PCRU) on response to human rights violations in the FCT.
Promoting the United Nations Convention Against Torture (ProCAT) project,is being co-funded by the High Commission of Canada in Nigeria through its Canada Fund for Local Initiatives (CFLI) and the United Nations Voluntary Fund for Victims of Torture (UNVFVT).
She emphasized that these improvements will further build trust between the Nigerian citizens and the police and ensure a better country with regards to human rights.
Speaking,the Canadian High Commissioner to Nigeria, H.E Jamie Christoff,commended the training initiative and highlighted the need to continue making such efforts at ensuring human rights are maximally respected in Nigeria.
He said :“The PCRU is a very important unit in the Police Force, charged summarily with policing the police. We must continue to strengthen our institutions to ensure better results in terms of human rights in Nigeria. Human rights are very important to Canada as a nation, so we support this initiative and look forward to its positive results in Nigeria’. Goodwill messages were also delivered by the representative of the Executive Secretary of the National Human Rights Commission.
The officers were trained on; the role of the police in human rights protection and accountability, international and regional legal framework on torture, inhumane degrading treatment and punishment, Nigerian national legislation against torture i.e., the anti-torture act (2017),victim sensitive approach to interviewing and complaints response, psychosocial counselling and mental health referral for victims of abuse, effective complaints investigation standards.
They also participated in practical sessions such as group work on legal texts and role play on interviewing victims. The fifteen (15) officers of the PCRU trained will implement step down training for other officers of the PCRU to widen the scope and impact of this intervention.
