Nigeria has recorded another milestone in continental human rights leadership as the Executive Secretary of the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), Chief Anthony Ojukwu, OFR, SAN, has been elected Vice-President of the African National Preventive Mechanisms Network (ANPMN).
Ojukwu was elected on 26 June 2026 during the Fourth Annual Conference of the ANPMN held in Kigali, Rwanda.
The conference, themed “Women and Children in Detention: Gender-responsive and Child-sensitive National Preventive Mechanism Approaches,” coincided with the United Nations International Day in Support of Victims of Torture, underscoring Africa’s renewed commitment to preventing torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment.
According to a statement signed by the NHRC’s Director of Corporate Affairs and External Linkages, Fatimah Agwai Mohammed, Ojukwu’s election represents a significant recognition of his outstanding leadership in torture prevention and the Commission’s growing reputation in promoting preventive monitoring and safeguarding the rights of persons deprived of their liberty.
The newly elected Steering Committee of the ANPMN comprised Commissioner Philile Ntuli of the South African Human Rights Commission as President, while Chief Anthony Ojukwu will serve as Vice-President. Other Steering Committee members are from Morocco, Rwanda, Mozambique, Mali, Senegal and Mauritania.
The African National Preventive Mechanisms Network is the continental platform for National Preventive Mechanisms established under the Optional Protocol to the United Nations Convention against Torture (OPCAT). The network serves as a strategic forum for strengthening preventive monitoring of places of detention, promoting the exchange of best practices, enhancing technical cooperation among African National Preventive Mechanisms, and advancing torture prevention across the continent. Its Permanent Secretariat is hosted in Rabat, Morocco.
The Commission noted that Ojukwu’s emergence as Vice-President reflected the confidence reposed in Nigeria’s National Preventive Mechanism and acknowledges the NHRC’s growing contributions to regional human rights initiatives across Africa.
