An Appraisal of the Nature and Extent of Human Rights Violation by the Nigeria Police in Gboko Local Government Area of Benue State, Nigeria (2016–2017)

Abstract

The paper appraised Police human rights violation in Gboko Local Government Area of Benue state, Nigeria. The study is an empirical study. The survey method was used in the study, questionnaire and interview was adopted as method of data collection, conflict theory was the adopted theory for the study; data was presented using simple percentage distribution. The study established the following: the Nigeria police violate the fundamental human rights of the Nigeria citizens with impunity, It was found that the Nigeria Police do not treat members of the society fairly and equally irrespective of social classes; it was established that the poor citizens in Nigeria are mostly affected by police brutality, it was also ascertained that, the police maltreat and brutalize crime suspects. It was found that the nature and extent of human rights violation by the Nigeria police is notoriously noticeable. The extent of such violations include, detention without trial, physical and psychological torture of suspects, unlawful restriction of movement, unlawful arrest and unlawful restriction of freedom of association. The Nigeria police use electric gadgets on suspect, use of tear gas on suspects, clamping or congestions of crime suspects in unhygienic cells, extra-judicial killings, and infliction of pains to suspects’ genitals. The study recommended thus; human rights protection units manned by lawyers should be established at the zonal level of police commands supervised by the national Human rights commission. The police Service Commission should strengthen legal education for the men and officers of the police. Public enlightenment of the Nigeria citizenry on their fundamental human rights specification as contained in the constitution should be enhanced by the National Orientation Agency. Punitive sanctions should be imposed on appropriately on police officers who violate human rights. Government should reform the Nigeria Police Force by enlisting only the educated members of the society into the Nigeria Police Force. For the dignity of human person to be preserved, it is necessary to improve on the health conditions in our cells. In that wise, government should build more prisons to decongest police cells, adequate medical facilities should be made available for the prevention and cure of contagious diseases in the police cell.