The Executive Director of CLEEN Foundation, Gad Peter has charged the Nigerian Military to tell their own stories by itself to enlighten the public on its position on allegations of human rights abuses by Army personnel.
Gad gave the charge at the launch of maiden edition of the Human Rights Seminar with the theme: “National Security and the Complexities of Human Rights” by the Nigerian Army at the Army Headquarters in Abuja on Wednesday.
He said good governance is the solution to address human rights issues between the Nigerian Military and the civilian populace.
The Nigerian Army has taken deliberate steps in the right direction to find a common ground where they can uphold national security and the human rights of citizens.
Gad, who presented a paper titled, “Combating Violent Security Threats in Nigeria: Balancing Human Rights with National Security”, at the occasion succinctly submitted that the only possibility to achieving national security and uphold the rights of citizens is by good governance.
The lack of good governance, therefore, is a resultant of many issues that we have in the society, he noted.
Citing an example, Gad asked why the Army are deployed for internal crisis when we have the police who are saddled with that mandate?
Further into his presentation, he stated that while the military is carrying out some interventions to address the rift between them and the citizens there is room for more.
Gad argued that, “No body tells your story better than you”, hence, opined that the Military should work closely with the National Orientation Agency (NOA) and the Nigerian Union of Journalist to push out more information about the activities of the agency.
He noted that the security challenges in Nigeria are undoubtedly significant and quite unsettling, stressing that this made some people to believe that to properly address the security concerns, human rights should be put on the back burner in the face of serious threats to the nation’s fundamental existence that are mostly perpetrated by non-state actors.
He, however, emphasized that, maintaining national security while combating violent security threats will be challenging without respect for human rights and the rule of law in general. The Executive Director said the rule of law of accountability are central to a balanced approach to security and rights.
The former Country Deputy Director of Equal Access stressed that a society governed by the rule of law ensures that all actions, including those taken in the name of national security, are conducted within the legal framework.
He urged security forces to operate under clearly defined laws and regulations, with mechanisms to prevent abuses and hold individual accountable for their actions.
Gad noted that accountability is crucial for maintaining public trust, as citizens must be assured that security measures will not be used as a pretext for violating their rights.
It’s a key principle of proportionality and necessity – that is, any security measures taken by law enforcement agencies must be proportionate to the threat faced and not exceed what is necessary to address the situation, he added.
