The U.S. has called on Nigeria to cease the random arrest and legal action against LGBT individuals and to make changes to its 1992 Press Act to lift limitations on freedom of speech.
This appeal was made during the 4th cycle of the Universal Period Review of Nigeria by the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva, Switzerland.
A U.S. government representative, addressing some of Nigeria’s human rights issues, stated, “We remain concerned regarding certain restrictions on the enjoyment of Nigerians’ human rights.
“In the spirit of constructive engagement, we recommend that Nigeria implement recommendations from the state-level investigations panel report on security forces response to the #EndSARS protests, including prosecution as appropriate of the individuals implicated in the reports.
She further recommended, “Amend the Nigerian Press Act of 1992 to remove restrictions on freedom of expression, specifically as it applies to online and citizen journalists.
“End the arbitrary arrest and prosecution of LGBT persons and amend the armed forces standard operating procedure to ensure the protection of human rights and fundamental freedom of all Nigerians.”
Responding, the Attorney General of the Federation, AGF, Mr. Lateef Fagbemi, SAN, appreciated the UN Human Rights Council’s interest in the affairs of Nigeria and the recommendations that had been made.
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He emphasised that Nigeria is taking steps towards building a consensus across the country to reform the justice sector.
He stated, “I will like to assure you that Nigeria has continued to take very commendable steps towards building a consensus across the federation of Nigeria in order to have a justice sector reform that is worthy of emulation all over the world.”
He further added, “You must take into consideration that ours is a federation; therefore, we need to engage both the national and subnational governments in order to arrive at a consensus.
“As a foundation, therefore, we have set up several mechanisms for the engagement of subnational governments to ensure the consistency of our efforts.”