Strengthening Human Rights Protection in Nigeria: Safeguards Under the Police Act 2020
The concept of Human Rights has become a critical factor in the definition of modern civilisation and constitutional democracies in the twenty-first century. The activities of the police remain central to the perception of human rights under municipal and international law according to the policies...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Pascasarjana UIN Sunan Gunung Djati Bandung
2024-12-01
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| Series: | Khazanah Hukum |
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| Online Access: | https://journal.uinsgd.ac.id/index.php/kh/article/view/39569 |
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| author | Ugochukwu Godspower Ehirim Morrison Ossai Patrick Chukwunonso Aloamaka Nwanneka Flora Ehirim |
| author_facet | Ugochukwu Godspower Ehirim Morrison Ossai Patrick Chukwunonso Aloamaka Nwanneka Flora Ehirim |
| author_sort | Ugochukwu Godspower Ehirim |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The concept of Human Rights has become a critical factor in the definition of modern civilisation and constitutional democracies in the twenty-first century. The activities of the police remain central to the perception of human rights under municipal and international law according to the policies of the state-party. This article sets out to examine the provisions of the ‘new’ Police Force (Establishment) Act 2020 with a view to identifying the safeguards put in place by the law for strengthening the promotion and protection of human rights in Nigeria. It identifies factors which have contributed to inefficient policing and ever-increasing cases of human rights violations by the police and recommends sticking with the extant legal reforms for a better Nigeria Police Force. The Act introduces provisions such as mandatory accountability mechanism, abolition of use of force or torture to obtain statements from suspects as well as the requirement for the presence of a legal practitioners during a suspect’s interrogation, among others. The doctrinal research method is adopted in analysing statutory provisions and judicial precedents to assess the alignment of policing procedures with constitutional guarantees in line with global best practices. It is observed that despite the wide discretion afforded the Nigeria Police in the discharge of their duties which should boost the observance of human rights, the police abuse these discretions with the end result of serious violations of citizens’ rights which are guaranteed under the constitution. The article concludes that fostering a human-rights-based approach in the discharge of police duties alongside a stringent enforcement of the Police Act 2020 is imperative to sustaining lasting, far-reaching reforms. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-4f113f83292c4c01a566ab534d48da52 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2715-9698 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2024-12-01 |
| publisher | Pascasarjana UIN Sunan Gunung Djati Bandung |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Khazanah Hukum |
| spelling | doaj-art-4f113f83292c4c01a566ab534d48da522025-01-23T00:23:43ZengPascasarjana UIN Sunan Gunung Djati BandungKhazanah Hukum2715-96982024-12-016326929310.15575/kh.v6i3.3956910161Strengthening Human Rights Protection in Nigeria: Safeguards Under the Police Act 2020Ugochukwu Godspower Ehirim0Morrison Ossai1Patrick Chukwunonso Aloamaka2Nwanneka Flora Ehirim3Delta State UniversityDelta State UniversityDelta State UniversityDelta State UniversityThe concept of Human Rights has become a critical factor in the definition of modern civilisation and constitutional democracies in the twenty-first century. The activities of the police remain central to the perception of human rights under municipal and international law according to the policies of the state-party. This article sets out to examine the provisions of the ‘new’ Police Force (Establishment) Act 2020 with a view to identifying the safeguards put in place by the law for strengthening the promotion and protection of human rights in Nigeria. It identifies factors which have contributed to inefficient policing and ever-increasing cases of human rights violations by the police and recommends sticking with the extant legal reforms for a better Nigeria Police Force. The Act introduces provisions such as mandatory accountability mechanism, abolition of use of force or torture to obtain statements from suspects as well as the requirement for the presence of a legal practitioners during a suspect’s interrogation, among others. The doctrinal research method is adopted in analysing statutory provisions and judicial precedents to assess the alignment of policing procedures with constitutional guarantees in line with global best practices. It is observed that despite the wide discretion afforded the Nigeria Police in the discharge of their duties which should boost the observance of human rights, the police abuse these discretions with the end result of serious violations of citizens’ rights which are guaranteed under the constitution. The article concludes that fostering a human-rights-based approach in the discharge of police duties alongside a stringent enforcement of the Police Act 2020 is imperative to sustaining lasting, far-reaching reforms.https://journal.uinsgd.ac.id/index.php/kh/article/view/39569police, policing, human rights, court, arrest, impunity |
| spellingShingle | Ugochukwu Godspower Ehirim Morrison Ossai Patrick Chukwunonso Aloamaka Nwanneka Flora Ehirim Strengthening Human Rights Protection in Nigeria: Safeguards Under the Police Act 2020 Khazanah Hukum police, policing, human rights, court, arrest, impunity |
| title | Strengthening Human Rights Protection in Nigeria: Safeguards Under the Police Act 2020 |
| title_full | Strengthening Human Rights Protection in Nigeria: Safeguards Under the Police Act 2020 |
| title_fullStr | Strengthening Human Rights Protection in Nigeria: Safeguards Under the Police Act 2020 |
| title_full_unstemmed | Strengthening Human Rights Protection in Nigeria: Safeguards Under the Police Act 2020 |
| title_short | Strengthening Human Rights Protection in Nigeria: Safeguards Under the Police Act 2020 |
| title_sort | strengthening human rights protection in nigeria safeguards under the police act 2020 |
| topic | police, policing, human rights, court, arrest, impunity |
| url | https://journal.uinsgd.ac.id/index.php/kh/article/view/39569 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT ugochukwugodspowerehirim strengtheninghumanrightsprotectioninnigeriasafeguardsunderthepoliceact2020 AT morrisonossai strengtheninghumanrightsprotectioninnigeriasafeguardsunderthepoliceact2020 AT patrickchukwunonsoaloamaka strengtheninghumanrightsprotectioninnigeriasafeguardsunderthepoliceact2020 AT nwannekafloraehirim strengtheninghumanrightsprotectioninnigeriasafeguardsunderthepoliceact2020 |