The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has urged the Federal Government to urgently ratify the Draft Policy on Protection of Civilians and Civilian Harm Mitigation, described it as a critical framework for safeguarding civilians during security operations.
Executive Secretary of the Commission, Dr. Tony Ojukwu, gave the charge at the mid-term review meeting of the project on “Protection of Forcibly Displaced Persons through Human Rights Information Data Collection and Documentation in Nigeria” held in Keffi, Nasarawa State.
Represented by Dr. Benedict Agu, Project Coordinator and Head of Monitoring at the Commission, Ojukwu noted that the policy would prevent, minimize, and address civilian harm while aligning Nigeria with regional and international human rights and humanitarian standards.
The project, supported by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), has so far managed 3,096 human rights cases and trained 80 security personnel on protecting the rights of forcibly displaced persons (FDPs), including internally displaced persons (IDPs), refugees, asylum seekers, and returnees.
Ojukwu stressed that adopting the policy would strengthen the fight against human rights violations and provide a sustainable framework for protecting vulnerable populations in conflict situations.
