Resolutions Adopted At The End Of A One Day Inauguration Of A Police Stakeholders Partnership And Accountability Forum And Capacity Building For Human Rights Monitors In Rivers State Organized By Rulaac On Wednesday, October 19, 2022 At Visa Karena Hotel, Port Harcourt.

RULAAC, in partnership with Open Society Initiative for West Africa (OSIWA), organized a one day inauguration of a Police/Stakeholders Partnership and Accountability Forum and capacity building for human rights monitors on Wednesday, October 19, 2022 at Visa Karena Hotels, Port Harcourt.
The forum was part of the Community Access to Justice and Criminal Justice interactive Project being implemented across the country by RULAAC with support from OSIWA.
The overall objective of the project is to facilitate the coordination and projection of the voices of the communities affected by insecurity and to promote their involvement in designing and implementing workable solutions to insecurity in their communities as well as enhance access to justice to the poor and most vulnerable groups who are unequally and disproportionately affected by a dysfunctional criminal justice system.
Participants were drawn from NGOs, CBOs, Community leaders, local security outfits, media, women and vulnerable groups among others. Police officers from the Rivers State Police Command who were expected to be part of the forum were however, not able to honour to attend.
CONCERNS/ OBSERVATIONS AFTER ROBUST DISCUSSIONS WHICH CENTRED ON HUMAN RIGHTS, ACCESS TO JUSTICE, EFFECTIVE POLICING, INSECURITY AMONG OTHERS, PARTICIPANTS:
1. Expressed concern over the absence of officers of the Rivers State Police Command at the forum despite spirited efforts to bring them on board. Their absence created an impression that the police was not interested in dialogues/discussions on human rights as well as collaborations with stakeholders that would bring about better policing.
2. Observed the need to foster a regular interaction, engagement and dialogue between the police and communities so that they can jointly determine policing priorities, find workable solutions to crime and insecurity and prevent human rights violations,
3. Resolved to sustain concerted efforts to ensure that partnership with the police is achieved.
4. Expressed concern that two years after the #ENDSARS Protests which sought to recreate the police and build human rights approach to policing, the atrocities of the security operatives against citizens are even becoming worse and have continued to grow at an alarming rate.
5. Noted that unresolved cases of police brutalities, enforced disappearances, torture, illegal arrests, detention without trials, all sorts of human rights violations with impunity, extra-judicial killings among others which led to the 2020 #ENDSARS protests across the country still abound in the society.
6. Further raised concern that the ENDSARS panel report seems to have been swept under the carpet without being implemented in Rivers State particularly, despite the huge resources and efforts committed to produce the report.
7. Condemned violations of peoples’ rights by authorities with impunity and demand that violators of rights should be made to face justice.
8. Noted that human rights violations breed public resentment and widen the trust gap between the police and the citizens they ought to be protecting.
9. Expressed serious concern that in spite of huge funds being earmarked for security annually, including borrowed funds, insecurity has continued to soar astronomically since the present regime came to power. The government has remained clueless and has no doubt, been overwhelmed by insecurity. Kidnapping, murder, banditry, terrorism attacks, attacks on communities by herdsmen, armed robberies and all forms of organized violent crimes have become the order of the day, while funds budgeted for fighting insecurity are allegedly looted. The government, headed by a retired army general has failed woefully to guarantee security of lives and properties.
RESOLUTIONS
1. Participants therefore called on the police to increase their commitment to checking persistent human rights violations in order to rebuild public confidence and invite public support. Police should punish human rights violators, including violations witnessed during the #ENDSARS protest.
2. Participants further called on the Rivers State government to implement the #ENDSARS panel report without further delay.
3. Participants called on citizens and stakeholders to ensure that they use their votes wisely in the 2023 general elections to ensure that none of those who are part of this failed regime in any way would remain in power beyond May 2023. They should vote for those capable of leading the country out of the pit it has been pushed into.
4. Participants called on government to live up to its responsibilities of providing security as well as abiding by its international commitments with respect to human rights standards which Nigeria is signatory.
5. Participants resolved to continue to make efforts towards a better police-citizens relationship, effective policing, and protection of human rights in the society, and to ensure that rights violations do not go un-redressed.
6. Participants further resolved to take the issue of monitoring, documenting and reporting human rights violations/abuses serious in order to keep on exposing atrocities by security operatives.
Conclusion
Participants thanked RULAAC and OSIWA for organizing the meeting and promised that the discussions will continue at the social media platforms created. They requested that such convening should not be a one off event.
Signed:
RULAAC, 08064974531