Military: Landmark Panel Must Be Independent, Impartial And Effective

The Nigerian government must ensure a presidential investigative panel set up to investigate human rights violations by Nigeria’s military is independent, impartial and effective, said Amnesty International today.

On Monday, the panel is set to “review compliance of the armed forces with human rights obligations and rules of engagement, especially in local conflict and insurgency situations.”

Stakeholders, affected persons, institutions and the public in Nigeria have been asked to voluntarily submit a memorandum to the panel, which will conduct hearings from 11 September 2017.

The panel has published its Terms of Reference (ToR), which is a first step towards ensuring transparency.

However, there is lack clarity as to the panel’s mandate, working methods and the scope of the investigations.

The panel should also publicly clarify the procedures that will be followed during the hearings and whether the findings would be made public.

UCJ, UNILORIN.