NBA To Assign Lawyers To 5,000 Police Stations Nationwide For Human Rights Oversight
The Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) has announced plans to push the Police Service Commission (PSC) to deploy lawyers to all 5,000 police stations nationwide to oversee human rights practices. This initiative aligns with Section 66 of the Police Act, 2020.
Afam Osigwe (SAN), President of the NBA, emphasized on Thursday that the organization is committed to ensuring the PSC complies with this provision. “The NBA shall, as a matter of urgency, prevail on the Police Service Commission to employ and assign a legal practitioner to monitor the observance of human rights in each of the 5,000 police stations in Nigeria,” Osigwe posted on X.
The move comes amid rising concerns over ongoing human rights abuses and brutality by members of the Nigeria Police Force. Civil society organizations have long highlighted the plight of numerous Nigerians enduring detention and mistreatment, often without just cause.
Recently, during an arraignment at the Abuja Federal High Court, minors detained for participating in anti-government protests collapsed due to poor treatment. The protests, held from August 1-10 under the banner #EndBadGovernance, were in response to widespread hunger and poor governance. Many detainees, including youths linked to the #EndSARS and #EndBadGovernance movements, remain in police custody in various states, including Lagos and Abuja.
