The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has condemned incidents of bullying in schools as well as any forms of dehumanizing treatments against any person in the country.
NHRC Executive Secretary, Dr. Tony Ojukwu, made this case in two separate statements.
He made reference to the disturbing video of the brutal bullying of Namtira Bwala, a female student of Lead British International School, Gwarinpa Abuja who suffered repeated slaps by fellow students over the refusal to answer inappropriate questions from school relationship.
Further, he cited a widely circulated video of a middle aged man (Cross-Dresser) who was commanded to strip himself naked in the full glare of some security operatives. In the video which has gone viral, the victim made a statement admitting that he disguises as a woman while dancing to attract attention for monetary rewards.
Dr. Ojukwu noted that the alarming incident of bullying which has attracted widespread condemnation across the country is a matter of concern that borders on cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment, respect for the dignity of the human person as well as learning in a safe and protected environment.
He expressed shock by the physical abuse meted out by a student to a fellow student and decried that this shouldn’t have happened in the first place if appropriate measures were put in place for a safe and conducive environment for learning.
He cited Section 34 (1) of the Nigeria Constitution which provides that “every Nigerian individual is entitled to respect for the dignity of his person and accordingly (a) No person shall be subjected to torture, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment”.
The Chief Human Rights Officer condemned this act and charged school proprietors to put measures in place to prevent re-occurrence of similar situations like this.
He also advised that CCTV cameras should be installed in appropriate places, as well as a whistleblower system to report bullying and inappropriate conduct in schools, while emphasizing that discipline should be strictly maintained to avoid bullying and abuse of such nature.
He further called for thorough investigation to ascertain the root cause of this dastardly act in the name of seniority, he said the protection of students across board by school management should be made paramount to ensure that this never happens again.
The Human Rights Advocate further stated that “bullying has become common in schools and if not checked will discourage some students from attending schools, this may lead to mental health issues, low self-esteem, even suicide as the case may be”.
He therefore called for a public hearing into cases of bullying in schools with a view to dealing holistically with this menace and proffering solutions to prevent continuation where they it exists and prevent re-occurrence in the near future.
In the two separate statements signed by the NHRC Director, Corporate Affairs and External Linkages, Obinna Nwakonye, the Executive Secretary advised the security and law enforcement agencies in Nigeria to desist from subjecting citizens or other foreigners living in the country to any form of torture, inhuman and degrading treatment or punishment in the course of their investigations.
The Chief Human Rights Officer said that while the law enforcement personnel are mandated to carry out their duties including investigations, they must conform to the extant laws and regulations which of course do not confer on them any form of authority to administer unethical treatment on any suspect.
According to the Executive Secretary, what played out in the video of the Cross Dresser is a demonstration of the fact that some of our security personnel are either ignorant of the laws governing their operations or are deliberately indulging in abuse of Office. Unfortunately none of these can suffice as an excuse or justification for any law enforcement agents to use torture, inhuman and degrading treatment and or punishment as a tool for investigation.
The Chief Accounting Officer of the NHRC cited Section 34(1) of the Nigeria Constitution which provides that “every Nigerian individual is entitled to respect for the dignity of his person and accordingly (a) No person shall be subjected to torture or to inhuman or degrading treatment”.
Similarly, he brought to mind Article 10 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) which states that all persons deprived of their liberty shall be treated with humanity and respect for the inherent dignity of human person.
Dr. Ojukwu called on the various authorities in the security sector to set up internal monitoring mechanisms to fish out the bad eggs and forestall any excesses from the law enforcement agents under their jurisdictions.
Accordingly, the perpetrators amongst the law enforcement in viral video should be prosecuted by the Nigerian Police as an institution for the promotion and protection of human rights of the people of Nigeria.
Against the foregoing, he stated that the victim in the viral video deserves an apology and that any other measures necessary to ensure that he recovers from the psychological trauma he was made to go through in the course of the unprofessional investigation he was subjected to in the hands of those who are supposed to protect his rights and other
members of the public.
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