BACKGROUND 

Recently, the Senate Committee on the Review of the 1999 Constitution invited Memoranda from Nigerians to a 2-day Public Hearing on the “Proposed Alteration to the Provisions of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999” in the Six Geopolitical Zones of the country. In response to this call, Lawyers Alert has put together this memorandum highlighting certain alterations that will address some salient provisions of the constitution that have been held to seriously derogated the beauty of the constitution.

INTRODUCTION

Pursuant to the creation of the House of Representatives Special Committee on National Security, and the call for memoranda by same, Lawyers Alert in collaboration with other Civil Society Organisations (as per the above mentioned CSOs) present this memorandum proposing Local & Community Level Security and Non-military & Non-kinetic Security Options & Solutions to curb the issue of insecurity in the country.

Background

In recent times, there have been calls for the criminalization of exposure to, or transmission of, HIV Infection in Nigeria due largely to a perceived upsurge in the rate of infections of persons in some parts of the country; and also, as a result of observed trends at the sub-regional level. A number of states in the country (e.g., Nasarawa and Akwa Ibom) have recently passed legislation or proposed legislations which extensively criminalise exposure to and transmission of the virus without due regards to the public health, legal, and human rights implications of the law.

Nigeria’s shrinking civic space has been a matter of discourse without abatementfor years now. The Nigerian Judiciary is gradually now it seems also now stiflingthe Civil Society sector via dismissal of suits instituted to challenge irregularitiesidentified both in the letter of the law and in the action or management of stateaffairs by agents of the government. This is evident in the courts’ awarding ofoutrageous sums as cost in suits brought by Civil Society Organizations in theinterpretation of laws or public impact litigation.

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BACKGROUND

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In 2013 Nigeria passed a same-sex prohibition act which prohibits all forms of same-sex relationships and advocacy for same including the registration of any association or club with such objectives. The implication of the passage of this law was an enhanced crackdown on the LGBTI community by security agencies and intolerance from the general populace.

BACKGROUND

Nigeria recently experienced social protest over the activities of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS), a unit of the Nigeria Police Force. Over the years, SARS had been accused of a range of extra-judicial actions ranging from unlawful arrests to extortion and killings. Most of these accusations went uninvestigated and unpunished, owing to poor state protection and lack of accountability mechanisms for the state security apparatus.

About Lawyers AlertLawyers Alert (LA) is a human rights organization with focus on the rights of women and vulnerable persons. We promote and protect the rights of women and vulnerable groups via legal literacy, monitoring and documentation of rights violations, provision of free legal services and advocacy for laws and policy reforms. We are currently facilitating an SRHR movement in Nigeria with over 70 members. www.lawyeralertng.org.

This tool is made available to partners, organizations in Nigeria and Abroad who may at any time need to carry out an assessment of the gender and human rights situation of a given place. This tool shall serve as a guide to such interventions.

Petty Offences are basically those offences that were created by colonial masters in an attempt to have a stronghold on people and right to self-expression and determination. In some instances, petty offences are said to be “victimless” i.e. where no one suffers any injury, yet, the actor is said to have committed an offence and is sent to jail. Others define it as those offences that do not necessarily deserve custodial sentences. Examples of petty offences including hawking, loitering, begging, etc.

INTRODUCTION

Lawyers Alert is a Human Rights, nonprofit and non-governmental organisation that focuses its work on promoting and protecting the rights of vulnerable groups, especially women through pro bono legal representation, monitoring and documentation of rights violations for informed engagement with law and policymakers, etc. It has since its inception rendered pro bono legal representations to an estimated number of 1000 women amongst hundreds of persons within the community of other vulnerable groups.

The Corona Virus Disease-19, better known as COVID-19, has triggered a worldwide pandemic which has also affected Nigeria. The first confirmed case of COVID-19 in Nigeria was announced on 27 February 2020, when an Italian citizen in Lagos, Nigeria’s commercial hub, tested positive for the virus. Since then more cases have been identified as the highly contagious disease slowly spread through the general population.

Lawyers Alert has been monitoring violations over the years in the realm of civil and political rights, Sexual and reproductive health rights, access to justice, and petty offenses. We have an online tool that analyses violation according to types, frequency, age, and locations and have issued several violations report in the past (https://www.lawyersalertng.org/resources). 

This is updated SRHR violations in Nigeria which LA commenced in the year 2017. Since then we have produced series of violation reports on a 6-monthly basis. There is the temptation to ask, why so often. We have two reasons for this. Projects we implement seats on being focused and tailored in areas where we have the most challenges. Secondly, 

Petty Offences are basically those offences that were created by colonial masters in attempt to have a strong hold on people and right to self-expression and determination.Petty offenses offend human rightsparticularly rights to movement, expression, liberty, and dignity of a person.

INTRODUCTION

Pursuant to the establishment of this panel by the Federal Government, and the call for Memoranda by same, Lawyers Alert wishes to bring to the notice of the Commission the gross violation of human rights of women in Calabar, Cross River State, by members of the Nigeria Police Force (SARS, Anti-Cultism Unit), which will be identified in this memo. These violations have lingered for so many years and are rather on the increase.

This report is a compendium of reported violations of sexual minorities in Nigeria between April 2017 to March 2018, with a particular focus on men who have sex with men (MSM). The data used in this report is drawn from inputs made into the online rights violation documentation tool developed by Lawyers Alert.

PREFACE/ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
In partnership with AmplifyChange, Lawyers Alert in the last two years has been monitoring and documenting Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights violations in Nigeria. Within these two years, we have released findings on these rights violations with regard to Violence Against Women and Girls (VWG), Men who have Sex with Men (MSM), and the entire gamut with respect to Persons Living With, Affected By, Or Most At Risk of HIV infection in Nigeria. These include; Person Living With HIV, Sex Workers, Men who have Sex with Men, Person Who Inject Drugs, Persons With Disabilities, and Sexual Minorities. 

BACKGROUND AND ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS: This is a compilation of reported violations from victims of Violence Against Women and Girls, VWG which covers the six geopolitical zones in Nigeria between January 2018 to January 2019. These violations are been captured from the inputs made into the Web-based tool (Ladock) developed and designed by Lawyers Alert http://colahr.org/lawyersalert/b_app.phpThis tool is situated on the Coalition of Lawyers For Human Right, a partner to Lawyers Alert.

NIGERIA POLICE ACT, 2018

ARRANGEMENT OF SECTIONS

section part

I – PRELIMINARY1.Main purpose

2.Principal objectives

PART II - COMPOSITION AND DUTIES OF THE NIGERIA POLICE FORCE

3.Establishment and composition of the Nigeria Police Force

4. Primary Functions of the Police Force

5.Duty of Police Force to enforce certain constitutional provisions, etc.

6.Establishment and functions of the Nigeria Police Council

Lawyers Alert is delighted to present its Strategic Plan for the period 2018-2020. This plan clearly outlines the strategic vision and goals collectively identified by the Staff, board, and management of the Organization with a view towards realizing the organization’s full potentials and fulfilling its vision and mission to the world in a more efficient and effective manner.