The Kogi government has inaugurated a 10-man Human Rights Special Intervention Group (HRSIG) committee to give access to justice to victims of human rights abuse.
The committee was inaugurated on Friday in Lokoja by Abdulahi Zakari, the Director-General, Office of the Public Defender and Citizens’ Rights Commission (PDCRC).
Zakari said that the inauguration was in response to the persistent violations of the rights of Kogi residents and the inability of the victims to access justice.
According to him, the committee’s inauguration is a timely response by the ‘pro-youth and pro-poor governor’, Alhaji Yahaya Bello, towards ensuring that the rights of residents and citizens of the state were secured.
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He said that the governor had, while identifying with the youth, promised to set up a special committee to handle the alleged brutality by law enforcement officers.
The director-general noted that the committee members were drawn from relevant agencies, based on their track records, urging them to consider their service as to God and humanity.
He enjoined them to respond to issues of domestic violence and abuses and other issues pertaining to violation of the fundamental human rights of the people of the state.
Zakari added that the committee should also respond to illegal arrests and detention by law enforcement agencies and submit monthly report to PDCRC.
He said that the committee would be operating under PDCRC, established on June 3, 2019, to respond to the need for access to justice by the indigents and ensure the protection of their human rights.
