2021 National Day of Mourning: NHRC boss charges law enforcement agencies to stop mass atrocities

As the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) joins all Nigerians to mark the 2021 National Day of Mourning and Remembrance of Victims of Mass Atrocities (NDMRVMA), the commission has called on the Nigerian Police Force and other law enforcement agencies to rejig their strategies and fish out all criminals and enemies of the state fueling insecurity, ethnic and religious violence, killings, kidnappings, sexual and gender-based violence.

Executive Secretary of the Commission, Tony Ojukwu, who made this statement in Abuja while commemorating the NDMRVMA, noted that the festering act of criminalities are gross violations of the fundamental human rights of citizens, which the government at all levels must rise up and tackle head on.

According to Ojukwu, this year’s remembrance of NDMRVMA is an avenue to remind government of its primary purpose which is the security and welfare of the citizenry as enshrined in section 14 (2) (b) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 as amended.

The Chief Human Rights Officer in Nigeria regretted that of recent, “ethno-religious conflicts, armed banditry, kidnapping, cattle rustling, land disputes and tensions between pastoralists and farmers resulting in loss of lives and displacements have unfortunately become the order of the day.

“It is on this note the commission is pressing for a stronger national response, because it seems there is no end to the cycle of escalated violence which is fuelled by impunity, given that perpetrators are rarely brought to justice,” the executive secretary stated.

The NHRC scribe observed that mass atrocities in the country have increased the level of poverty, non-access to education, sexual and gender-based violence, non-access to clean water and sanitation, healthcare, poor access to Justice and serious violations of international humanitarian and human rights law.

He called on the government and the law enforcement agencies to, as a matter of necessity explore new strategies to curb the rising criminalities, as well as strengthen all institutions involved in providing security in the country and also ensure accountability for mass atrocities in Nigeria.

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