… As NUJ asks Commission to establish offices at LG levels
BY ADEYEMI AKANJI, ABUJA – National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) in Bauchi State has disclosed that it received not less than 214 cases of human rights abuses across the state within year 2020.
The Bauchi State Coordinator of NHRC, Dala Yatcit announced this when she visited the leadership and members of the Bauchi State Council of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ). Yatcit while giving the breakdown of the abuses said that it included rape cases, torture, use of force, physical abuse as well as other forms of gender based violence.
She however said that the Commission was able to amicably resolve some of the human rights abuses while others are pending at the courts for judicial arbitration.
Yatcit explained that the Commission is a statutory body set up by law to encourage members of the public whose rights are violated by anyone to feel free and report to the Commission for necessary action.
The Coordinator also advocated for the enactment of more laws to protect children’s rights, adding that the existing ones are not adequate.
Responding, the Chairman of NUJ, Bauchi State Council, Umar Sa’idu called on the NHRC to establish offices at the Local Governments levels across the state.
He noted that a lot of people, especially those that live in the rural areas do not know the existence and duties of the National Human Rights Commission in spite of the high rate of rights violation in the rural areas.
Sa’idu noted that if the Commission has Local Governments offices, oppressed villagers could have their rights protected like other enlightened citizens.
The NUJ boss assured that journalists in the state are ever ready to partner with the commission to protect human rights of the people and ensure that justice is done to victims of the violence.
