Lawyer Flays Human Rights Abuses By Security Men

A Port Harcourt-
based lawyer, Barr. Chinonye Okoha, has criticised law enforcement agencies under the present administration for human rights abuses.
Okoha, who made the criticism while speaking with The Tide in Port Harcourt yesterday expressed regrets that they do so with impunity.
He listed the Department of State Services, as the worst violators of people’s rights, while the Special Anti-Rabbery Squad (SARS) and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFFC) are also named.
Barr. Okoha remarked that the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria as amended was the grundnorm and any other law that is inconsistent with the Constitution is to the extent of that inconsistency null and void.
According to him, “in a constitutional democracy like ours, there must be respect for the rule of law. This is because of rule of man cannot move the society forward because it is subject to human whims and caprices.”
“The rule of law is better than the rule of self-help,” he further stated.
The Port Harcourt lawyer, who is also a human rights advocate, also expressed regrets that the action of law enforcement agencies go unpunished.
Okoha stated that nobody was above the law and explained that the law was no respecter of persons.
He said law enforcement agencies were still torturing suspects to get information from them, and noted that the use of torture had been outlawed in Nigeria.
He also noted that the above-named agencies of the Federal Government were in the habit of keeping suspects as much as they pleased.
Okoha said there was a need for re-orientation of the law enforcements so that the present level of impunity would stop.

Chidi Enyie