Date Published: 09/18/09

HURIWA faults SSS parade of suspects

Worried by the declining international image of Nigeria as a country that fails in its international obligations and standards in the respect and promotion of human rights of citizens, a human rights group Human Rights Writers’ Association of Nigeria, HURIWA, yesterday faulted the frequent parading in the full glare of electronic and print media of citizens alleged to have committed some crime by the nation’s security agents.

The Human Rights Writers’ Association of Nigeria, HURIWA, specifically faulted the recent parading in the media by the State Security Service (SSS) of some four citizens they accused of alleged plot to kidnap the nation’s education minister and his labour and productivity counterpart. The group said the parading of suspects who are yet to be charged before competent court of law in line with section 6 and section 36 of the 1999 constitution is a total breach of the fundamental rights of these suspects enshrined in chapter four of the 1999 constitution.

Human Rights Writer’s Association of Nigeria, a development focused and democracy inclined non-governmental organization, in a statement endorsed by its national coordinator Comrade Emmanuel Onwubiko urged the operatives of the nation’s law enforcement Agencies including the state security service [SSS] to respect the provisions of the 1999 constitution so that democracy will become vibrant in Nigeria and for the Human Rights record of Nigeria to improve. The group reminded the State Security Service that Nigeria is a signatory to several international and regional human rights statutes, conventions and treaties and the security agents whose offices are created by the law must respect the law.

Specifically, the assistant Director of Public Relations of the State Security Service (SSS), Marylyn Ogar told Journalists in Abuja that a report of preliminary investigations indicated that both ministers were to be kidnapped by a gang of four men operating as students protesting the lingering strike by the Academic Staff Union of Universities following the breakdown of negotiation with the Government occasioned by the unilateral withdrawal from the collective negotiation by the Federal Government.

HURIWA said though it totally frowns at all organized crime irrespective of who the would-be victims are, but members of the security agencies must play according to the tenets of the rule of law by charging suspects to competent court of law if they (Security agents) established any allegations of crime against them, rather than engaging in media trial of suspects who in the eye of the law are innocent until proven otherwise in compliance with international best practices in most civilized democracies and the provision of section 36(5) of the 1999 constitution which provides that; “every person who is charged with a criminal offence shall be presumed to be innocent until he is proved guilty”.

The Human Rights group affirmed that the practice of always parading suspects before the media will not only demonize the suspects in the eye of the public but will jeopardize their trial since the action of parading them for media trial has denied them of fair hearing and is a violation of the relevant sections of the constitution of Nigeria which are binding on all persons and authorities. The Rights Group also called on media houses to join the crusade against media trial and public parade of suspects because the fourth estate of the realm [media] is a critical stakeholder in the enthronement of respect for the principle of the rule of law.

HURIWA affirmed thus; “while we wish the operatives of the various security agents maintained with tax payers’ money huge success in their arduous duty of cleansing the society of all traces of organized violent crime, we frown at the use of self help measures which are illegal and unconstitutional and the frequent resort to media trial of suspect spearheaded by operatives of the security agencies in Nigeria. The view of Nigeria as a country which respects or observes international obligations and standards is measured by its record on promotion and protection of the Human Rights of citizens including those allegedly in conflict with the law”.

The Rights group warned that if the spate of media trials of suspects continues, then our hard won democracy in Nigeria would be endangered since this practice will relegate the respect for the human rights of citizens to the background.