The United States government has claimed that Nigeria’s police, military and the Department of State Services (DSS) is saddled with impunity worsened by corruption and weak judiciary.
This was presented by the US Department of State in its 2021 country reports on human rights practices, which was released on Tuesday.
The annual report usually covers individual, civil, political, and worker rights as stipulated in universal declaration of human rights and other international agreements.
In the report, the US government highlights cases of illegal arrests, forceful disappearance, denial of fair public trial and censorship or content restrictions as they pertain to human rights practices in Nigeria.
The US government also accused Nigerian security operatives of “periodically” acting against civilian control.
The US added that the Nigerian government does not publish the findings of judicial panels set up to investigate crimes committed by security agents.
“Impunity, exacerbated by corruption and a weak judiciary, remained a significant problem in the security forces, especially in police, military, and the Department of State Services,” the US government said.
“Police, the military, and the Department of State Services reported to civilian authorities but periodically acted outside civilian control.
“The government regularly utilized disciplinary boards and mechanisms to investigate security force members and hold them accountable for crimes committed on duty, but the results of these accountability mechanisms were not always made public.
“The Nigeria Police Force’s Complaint Response Unit worked to rebuild trust in police among citizens by holding police malefactors accountable. The revamped Complaints Response Unit was largely perceived to be a credible albeit nascent effort in the government’s effort to gather and respond to citizens’ complaints of police misconduct.
“Additionally, the minister of police inaugurated a Police Public Complaints Committee in April to allow citizens to register official complaints of abuses or misconduct by police officers. Police established a radio station to increase its communication with and get feedback from the public.”
