By Folalumi Alaran
The Civil Society Organisation in Nigeria has called on President Muhammadu Buhari to submit the reviewed composition of the state of torture in the country following the signing of the Anti-torture Act in 2017, to ensure the country’s participation in the upcoming review by the world organization against torture (OMCT) Geneva.
The Executive Director Prisoners Rehabilitation and Welfare Action (PRAWA) Dr. Uju Agomoh, said the group made the call in a joint discussion to talk about the state of security and the effect of counter terrorism strategies (radicalisation, use of torture) in Abuja on Thursday.
Addressing journalists during the advocacy dinner, Dr. Uju explains that there were three major reports required by the secretariat of the committee against torture, which Include report from the federal Republic of Nigeria, the National Human Rght Commission and also the civil society organizations.
She said: ” The civil society are already working on their own report. We want to remind Nigeria about certain things that it’s doing which is making the country not look to good.
” 20 years ago, Nigeria signed the United Nations Convention Against Torture on human and degrading treatments. But all obligation relating to that convention, especially the obligation to report the progress in terms of implementation has not been done in the past 20 years.
” We the Civil Society in Nigeria are calling on government at all levels to participate in the coming review against torture, to be conducted by the world organization against torture (OMCT) Geneva.”
