By Ameh Ejekwonyilo
Abuja
Lawyers under the aegis of Avocats Sans Frontières France (ASF) otherwise known as Lawyers Without Borders have called on President Muhammadu Buhari to sign into law the anti-torture that was recently passed by the 7th National Assembly.
They made the call in a statement issued by the body’s Head of Abuja Office, Angela Uwandu as they joined the United Nations to commemorate this year’s world day in support of torture victims at the weekend in Abuja.
“Avocats Sans Frontières France hereby calls on the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria to speedily assent to the anti-torture bill already passed by the National Assembly in its 7th legislative year. With this law, which would criminalize torture under the Nigerian domestic laws, offenders can now be held individually accountable for their acts.
Uwandu in the statement said: “This very important day which was set aside by the United Nations on December 12, 1997, by resolution 52/149, reminds us all of the pains, sufferings, disfiguration, dehumanization and often times death of our fellow citizens who are victims of torture.”
The body condemned the use of torture by security agencies as a means of eliciting information from crime suspects in the country.
“Torture unfortunately, continues to be prevalent in Nigeria as a tool for interrogation, intimidation and punishment by security forces on crime suspects.
“In 2014 alone, Avocats Sans Frontières France documented and rendered free legal services to 57 victims of torture across 3 states in Nigeria: Enugu, Kaduna and Plateau states.
“Notably, all 19 of these cases of victims documented in Enugu state had gunshot wounds inflicted by security forces highlighting a very dangerous trend in the state. Victims are left in deplorable detention conditions with no access to adequate medical attention for these wounds.”
They called for the punishment of security personnel found guilty of torture, while urging the government to work towards eliminating the menace.
“Justice for victims of torture in Nigeria must include the punishment of perpetrators of these acts of torture. State and non state actors in Nigeria must stand united in denouncing torture for what it is: a despicable crime which dehumanizes victims.
“All actors must also be committed in preventing torture within the Nigerian territory. A major way forward would be by ensuring that perpetrators of torture are held accountable and brought to justice for their illegal acts.
“Avocats Sans Frontières France also calls for the strengthening of the National preventive mechanism against torture in Nigeria to ensure its compliance with the standards stipulated in the optional protocol on the convention against torture”, the statement said.
