Human Rights Day: NHRC Urges Plateau Residents to Report Cases
The National Human Rights Commission (NRHC) has urged Plateau residents to report cases of human rights abuse to it for prompt action.
Mrs Grace Pam, the North Central Zonal Coordinator of the commission, made the call at an awareness campaign it organised to mark the 70th anniversary of the International Human Rights Day on Monday in Jos.
According to Pam, most people don’t report incidence of human rights to appropriate authorities, hence making the ugly trend a continuous one.
“We are in a democratic dispensation where there should be high regard for human rights, unfortunately it is not so.
“But over time, we have discovered that people are ignorant of their rights and don’t even know when those rights are being violated.
“So, we are creating this awareness to further sensitise our people on the Plateau, to know their rights and also report to appropriate quarters when these rights are violated, ” she said.
On whether the commission collects fee to defend the victims of abuse, Pam said NRHC performed its function Pro-bono and hence denied such claim.
She explained that some private individuals collected money to defend the rights of citizens, but that no member of staff of the commission was allowed to collect a fee.
“We are constitutionally mandated to defend the right of every Nigerian, and so, we don’t attach any fee to performing our duties.
“No member of staff of the commission is allowed to collect any fee before attending to cases of violation, and anyone caught doing that will be decisively dealt with.”
The coordinator said that the international human rights day is set aside to remember victims of abuse and those working to defend such victims. (NAN)
