Commission Records 54 Human Rights Violation Cases

The National Human
Rights Commission (NHRC) says it  received 54 cases of human rights violation between January and June in Akwa Ibom State.
The state NHRC Coordinator, Mr Tony Iji,  who made the figure known  in Uyo on Tuesday  said 27 cases had been treated and relief obtained for the victims by the commission, while 27 others were at various stages of investigation and mediation.
He explained that these cases were handled at no cost to the victims because the commission was “a service-driven organisation’’.
The coordinator said the cases treated so far by the commission were unlawful arrest, deprivation of rights to property, unlawful termination of employment and wife battery.
Other issues, according to him, are child abandonment, denial of basic rights, infliction of injury on victims and communal conflicts.
“Through our intervention, a number of people wrongly detained have been released; fathers have been made to pay for upkeep of their children hitherto abandoned.
“We can compel appearance, our decision once approved by the commission’s Governing Council and registered in the High Court becomes a court decision,” Iji explained.
He said that the commission had the mandate to promote issues of human rights through enlightenment and sensitisation of the citizens on their basic human rights.
The coordinator said that the state office was currently embarking on an enlightenment campaign in schools in the state to educate the students on the Child Rights Law 2008.
“You see not many of these students know their rights under the Child Rights Law enacted in the state in 2008, so we decided to embark on enlightenment campaign among secondary schools,” Iji said.
Iji, who appealed to the citizens to avail themselves of the services of the commission, thanked the state government for its assistance in the area of accommodation.