By Jude Michael
A rights group, the Rule of Law and Accountability Advocacy Centre, RULAAC, has urged the Nigerian military to drastically reduce its role in internal conflicts.
The group decried what it termed the militarization of the civic space and called on the military to limit its role in internal security to special cases only.
The Executive Director of RULAAC, Okechukwu Nwanguma, made the call in a presentation during the 3rd edition of the Nigerian Army Human Rights Seminar.
The seminar which had as its theme, ‘’Human Rights and National Security: A Strategic Balance’’, is in line with the Chief of Army staff’s philosophy of repositioning the Nigerian Army. It attracted various civil society organizations and legal practitioners.
Nwanguma said there had been complaints about the over militarization of the Southeast with several military checkpoints.
He also decried cases of harassment, which, he said, could not be overlooked, saying that the military’s role in internal security must be limited to special circumstances.
Nwanguma highlighted the various violations tied to military operations, including discrimination, torture, and gender-based violence, noting that addressing those issues, especially in vulnerable populations such as women and children, was vital in maintaining human rights standards.
‘Clear limitations on human rights in military operations must be established to prevent abuse and impunity. A commitment to international conventions and accountability for violations by all parties is imperative for fostering trust and legitimacy.
‘It is important also to state that the failure to investigate allegations of human rights violations contributes to an atmosphere of impunity, as it emboldens officers to repeat such acts,’ he insisted.
