CLEEN Foundation organizes training for human rights defenders in Nigeria

 Emeka Ibemere

Following the ultra human abuse cases in the North-East Nigeria amidst the wanton killing of Nigerians by the dreaded members of Boko Haram, the Global Centre for the Responsibility to Protect Human Rights Watch, The International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH) wrote to President Goodluck Jonathan on the crisis in north eastern Nigeria and the heavy toll it has taken on the civilian population.

  The Group also said they were concerned by the intensified attacks by the armed group Boko Haram leave civilians, including children, facing war crimes and other mass atrocities. Reports said Boko Haram has killed thousands of people since the start of the violent insurgency in 2009.

According to the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) of Nigeria, more than 1.5 million people have been internally displaced since the beginning of the state of emergency in the northeast in May 2013, and the number keeps growing as the violence continues unabated.

Further reports also claimed that Nigerian security forces have consistently failed to deter and halt attacks on civilians, including mass abductions. According to the FIDH,  there are also mounting evidence of grave human rights violations and possible war crimes, including extrajudicial killings, enforced disappearances and acts of torture, committed against civilians by the security forces and local vigilante groups, collectively known as the Civilian Joint Task Force.

“We urge your government to uphold its responsibility to protect populations from mass atrocity crimes and end human rights abuses against civilians. This includes by ensuring that security forces observe international human rights and humanitarian law as they confront Boko Haram, and that all government agencies exercise due process, including fair trials, and uphold the prohibition against torture, enforced disappearances, prolonged detention and arbitrary executions when dealing with suspected Boko Haram members. Independent and transparent investigations should also be conducted into the reported abuses committed by the security forces, and perpetrators held to account without delay. We urge your government to publicly and regularly report on the progress and outcome of these investigations”, FIDH stated.

However, the Islamist insurgency, Boko Haram in Nigeria is reported to have killed at least 2,053 civilians in an estimated 95 attacks during the first half of 2014. According to foreign agencies, the figures are based on detailed analyses of media reports as well as field investigations.

The killings and other abuses were part of widespread attacks on civilians in over 70 towns and villages in north-eastern Nigeria, in the federal capital, Abuja, and other areas that are apparent crimes against humanity.

Based on the reported cases in the North-East, a Group decided to train residents of the zone on how to defend themselves on the face of abuse.

The CLEEN Foundation in partnership with the British High Commission in Nigeria opened a series of training workshops for Human Rights’ Defenders from North East Nigeria in Abuja.

 The training commenced on Monday 20th October 2014 with a first batch of about 40 participants and it will continue through the week with two subsequent batches of trainees.

The goal of the training workshop is to build the capacity of 120 human right advocates to better support human right protection and defense initiatives in their communities. The training is imperative in the face of human right and security challenges in North East, Nigeria.

According to the Group, the training is coming after an earlier mapping study through which the group identified human rights defenders in North East.

It was gathered that the feedback from the identified human rights advocates highlighted the need for training and therefore informed the training workshop.

The series of the two-day workshop is being facilitated by a team of local and international facilitators and supported by the staff of the CLEEN Foundation.

The Group’s executive Director, Kemi Okenyodo, said “at the end of the training, participants are expected to return to their different organizations and communities better informed and educated on modules such as Understanding and Analyzing Human Rights, Data Collection and Advocacy, Report Writing and Documentation as well as Storage and Litigation of Human Rights Abuses”.

The training workshops would  be followed up with a mentoring program for the trainees to assist them further refine their skills and identify entry points for engagement in their communities.

 The evaluation of this training and mentorship will help to refine the framing of our future activities as we look forward to sustained commitment and increase awareness on the defense of human right in Nigeria with particular emphasis on the North East geopolitical zone.

The CLEEN Foundation as a national NGO is aimed at improving of public safety, security and justice in Nigeria. This we do through empirical studies, legislative advocacy, demonstration programmes in partnership with government agencies, organized private sector and civil society groups.

The British High Commission in Nigeria is a dependable and supportive partner in the efforts to promote access to justice, security and the protection of human rights in Nigeria. The CLEEN Foundation is honoured for this strategic partnership and looks forward to stronger collaborations in the future.

In the last one year, the Group has been in the vanguard of free-violent election by tasking the stakeholders on the necessary things to do in conducting violence-free and rigging-free elections in Nigeria.

The Group took survey of Osun, Ogun, Anambra, Ekiti and Adamawa gubernatorial elections and highlighted the election security threat in the group’s assessment of dangerous factors that could derail election purpose. In all the states surveyed by the Group, key risk factors of such States were revealed. CLEEN also showed key mitigating factors to election, especially on security, activities of the politicians, human rights of the electorates and other factors.

In some of the surveys, the Group pinpoints potential flashpoints in most of the States for security agencies to be aware of in case of violence.

In Adamawa State, the Group alleged that from experience of the nature of insurgency in the northeast, there may be infiltration of Internally Displaced Persons’ (IDP) camps in the state by insurgents who may already be disguising in these camps as IDPs during election.

The security survey also added that heavy security presence in the state capital Yola appears to have had huge impact on the civilian population. According to them, the key mitigating factors are that the security forces should increase their monitoring and surveillance of all interested parties in the State.

CLEEN also said the activities of the State House of Assembly should be closely monitored too; because of the recent trend of impeachment processes and the issue of IDP camps should be fully secured to ensure that they are not allowed to be infiltrated by insurgents, thugs or hoodlums; and Almajiris.

 It also quipped that security forces should take due care to ensure that they do not provoke the local population through overzealous acts of some of its officers.

The survey was carried out against the consequent upon the impeachment of Governor Murtala Nyako on 11 June, 2014, which the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has scheduled October 11th 2014 as the date for the by-election for governorship election in Adamawa State.

During Ekiti State governorship election, Group also highlighted the key risk factors that might rear their ugly heads in the election.

According to the CLEEN Foundation’s Election Security Brief, ESB, delay or non-arrival of election materials and personnel may be misinterpreted as an attempt to rig the election. The Foundation disclosed that in the history of electoral violence in Ekiti State and its incidences of violence, that late arrival of election materials could also be a catalyst that could trigger violence.

The organization also looked at the factors that have characterised the campaign period, leading to the election. Moreover, the Foundation lamented that mutual suspicion of rigging between the parties and candidates, and threats of violence are likely going to lead violence and cautioned that suck risk factors being shunned.

The Foundation also considered the possibility of federal might influence or regional level constituting the elemental risky factors.

“Timely distribution of election materials and personnel by INEC,  enforcement of code of conduct for political parties and readiness to prosecute electoral offenders, training of DPOs, Area commanders and other security agencies on election security management, strategic and early deployment of adequate security to identified areas of threat in the state and adequate sensitization of the electorate on the electoral process and need to eschew violence, could help in conducting free and violence free election”, CLEEN Foundation stated.

“The best strategy to effectively stem electoral violence during the June 21 election is for security agencies to be prepared to deal with issues of electoral violence in all the 177 wards and 16 local government areas across Ekiti State. Additionally, preparing for the worst case scenario may be the best, as contest for the governorship election increases in intensity”.

The organization from their brief  made available to Daily Newswatch, said Ishan, the Governor Kayode Fayemi’s  Local Government Area as well as every area where major political figures and appointees of the state comes from, need to be watched.  Also, the group spotted Emure, as been a no-go area during elections. The Group disclosed that historically, Emure has always been problematic area. “And right now, every candidate would want to win there because it is easier to have an LGA, once you win in Emure”.

“Timely distribution of election materials and personnel by INEC, enforcement of code of conduct for political parties and readiness to prosecute electoral offenders, training of Divisional Police Officers, Area commanders and other security agencies on election security management with the strategic, early deployment of adequate security to identified areas of threat in the state and adequate sensitization of the electorate on the electoral process and the need to eschew violence”, the survey says, could do the miracle of aborting crises”.

“The above are the key threats to security in the Osun State gubernatorial election”

It would be recalled that on 9 August 2014, Osun state would be heading to the polls to elect its governor in what seems to be a hot contested election.  Reports say that this would be the 10th staggered election since 2011, and the possibly the last one before the 2015 general elections.

Therefore, it is likely evidence the culmination of lessons learnt from previous elections, and gauge preparedness for the forthcoming general election, would be tested.

“The stakes are also very high in Osun State. Though candidates of 20 political parties have been cleared by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to contest for the election, it is essentially seen as a race between the Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP) and the All Progressives Congress (APC)”, the survey highlighted.

“Coming on the heels of the Ekiti loss by APC to the PDP, the Osun election will be a battle for dominance and supremacy. The APC will be seeking to halt its reversal of fortunes and bolster the confidence of its members nationwide that it is still a force to reckon with, while the PDP will want to assert that its victory in Ekiti was not a fluke but indicative of the wide acceptance of the party”.

According to the report, INEC would also be seeking to consolidate on its successful outing during the Ekiti State election.  As always, significant attention would be on security agencies especially with the massive deployment of troops recorded in Ekiti, its attendant challenges, and the likelihood of a repeat in Osun.

The survey also showed the likely hotbed of political crisis in Osun State that need to be kept under close security watch before, during and after the August 9 polls include.

 According to the investigation carried out by CLEEN FOUNDATION, Ile-Ife the hometown of the PDP candidate, Ilesa the hometown of the APC candidate, Ila-Orangun the hometown of APC chieftain and former governor of Osun State, Chief Bisi Akande should be placed on red alert.

Other areas include Iwo, Ikirun, Oshogbo and Ede the hometown of another APC chieftain and former governor of Osun State, Alhaji Isiaka Adeleke, where the PDP candidate’s running mate, Hon. Adejare Bello also hails from. In all these surveys carried out before these elections, CLEEN predicted well most of the crises that took place in those states.