ICHRNVSA trains Amotekun Corp personnel on human rights , community policing

Personnel of the Amotekun Corp from the South West region in Nigeria have received training on human rights and community policing.

Renowned Lagos-based lawyer, Mrs. Ene Sarah Unobe Esq the Chief Executive Officer of the International Centre for Human Rights Non-Violence and Safety Awareness ICHRNVSA who handled the training taught the Amotekun Corp personnel on how they can uphold human rights tenets in the discharge of their duties and ensure a robust community policing in their communities.

The two-day training tagged ” Protecting Civic Space Project ”  was organised by the Building Blocks for Peace Foundation in collaboration with Dawn Commission and Action Group on Free Civic Space aimed at training the Amotekun Corp personnel on Community policing and human rights protection.

Barr. Ene Unobe while delivering the training said human rights are rights we have because we exist as human beings. She said

“They are not granted by any state. These universal rights are inherent to us all, regardless of nationality, sex, national or ethnic origin, color, religion, language, or any other status. They range from the most fundamental – the right to life – to those that make life worth living, such as the rights to food, education, work, health, and liberty. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR), adopted by the UN General Assembly in 1948, was the first legal document to set out the fundamental human rights to be universally protected. The UDHR, which turned 70 in 2018, continues to be the foundation of all international human rights law. Its 30 articles provide the principles and building blocks of current and future human rights conventions, treaties and other legal instruments. The UDHR, together with the 2 covenants – the International Covenant for Civil and Political Rights, and the International Covenant for Economic, Social and Cultural Rights – make up the International Bill of Rights”

Barr Mrs Unobe added that the principle of universality of human rights is the cornerstone of international human rights law. ” This means that we are all equally entitled to our human rights. This principle, as first emphasized in the UDHR, is repeated in many international human rights conventions, declarations, and resolutions. Human rights are inalienable. They should not be taken away, except in specific situations and according to due process. For example, the right to liberty may be restricted if a person is found guilty of a crime by a court of law. All human rights are indivisible and interdependent.  This means that one set of rights cannot be enjoyed fully without the other”.

Speaking on community policing, Barr  Unobe added that the goal of community policing is for police to build relationships with the community, including through local agencies to reduce antisocial behavior and low-level crime. Community partnership in securing lives and properties is related to problem-oriented policing and intelligence-led policing, and contrasted with reactive policing strategies which were predominant in the late 20th century. ”

Community policing or community-oriented policing (COP) is a strategy of policing that focuses on developing relationships with community members. It is a philosophy of full-service policing that is highly personal, where an officer patrols the same area for an extended time and develops a partnership with citizens to collaboratively identify and solve problems.

She added that community policing creates an atmosphere in which the police and law-abiding citizens can work in partnership to solve problems; share resources; pre-vent crime; promote inter-agency collaboration; bring offenders to justice; reduce conflict; and improve the overall quality of community life. ‟Consequently, Community Policing is in everyone’s interest as it enables a peaceful, secure and investment-friendly environment that promotes development and improves livelihoods. Community Policing is founded on the democratic principle that the police are entrusted by their fellow citizens to protect their fundamental rights to liberty, equality and justice under the law. To fulfill this privileged role, the police must be a part of the communities they serve. Moreover, this positive police-community relationship, based on mutual trust and respect, encourages community members to accept their share of responsibility for the overall quality of life in their neighborhood.

Government-community partnership in the promotion of security requires the assessment of the nature, extent, manifestations and pattern of disorder, crime and insecurity problems in society”.

Mr Clifford  Of Building Blocks for Peace Foundation stated that the training is valuable as it aims to get the personnel of Amotekun Corp to imbibe human rights tenets at the early stage of their career in the Corp for them to be better positioned to protect the civic space and discharge their duties professionally.

The personnel at the training commended the trainers and the organisers as they added that the training will be reflected in their duties.

For a better society

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