The Federal Government is stepping up efforts to eradicate torture in detention facilities, emphasizing that all individuals deserve humane treatment, even in custody.
During a workshop in Abuja to raise awareness among law enforcement and other key stakeholders about the United Nations Convention Against Torture, Solicitor-General and Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Justice, Mrs. Beatrice Jedy-Agba, highlighted the government’s commitment to this cause.
“Torture is a cruel, inhuman, and degrading practice, and we are dedicated to eliminating its use by public officials,” Jedy-Agba stated. She announced ongoing efforts to broaden the Anti-Torture Act to include psychiatric hospitals and other detention centers.
“We are reviewing the Anti-Torture Act to expand the definition of torture and enhance mechanisms to discourage its use in all places of detention, such as police stations, prisons, and psychiatric hospitals,” she explained. “Even in psychiatric facilities, where individuals are receiving care, they must be treated humanely at all times.”
Jedy-Agba also emphasized that torture is illegal and unacceptable as a method for extracting information from suspects. “Information obtained through torture is inadmissible by law,” she noted, stressing that law enforcement agents must refrain from such practices.
She clarified that under current legal frameworks, torture is defined as any act by public officials that inflicts mental or physical pain on individuals in their custody. The government’s responsibility, she added, extends beyond punishing perpetrators to ensuring restitution and rehabilitation for victims of torture.
Jedy-Agba called on workshop participants to champion the federal government’s anti-torture policies and to implement anti-torture measures within their organizations.
“Nigeria is a signatory to several international treaties and conventions, including the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the United Nations Convention Against Torture. These agreements guarantee the human rights of all individuals, including those in detention,” she said.
“The prohibition of torture is recognized internationally as a fundamental human right, and the federal government is committed to upholding these standards. We have ratified the UN Convention Against Torture and enacted the Anti-Torture Act to ensure that public officers do not engage in such practices,” Jedy-Agba concluded.
