Counter-Terrorism Activities and Human Rights Violation in Nigeria’s Fourth Republic: Gap and Lesson

Abstract

The departure in 1999 of military regime in Nigeria restored hope for human rights that was grossly abused by successive military regimes. Regrettably, after twenty years, it is not yet uhuru for Nigerians. Human rights violations remain rife. Particularly worrying is the government security operatives‟ abuse of rights with the resultant casualties. Using data generated from secondary sources and descriptive method of analysis, it was realized that the aftermath of 2009 Boko Haram uprising has opened a new discourse in Nigeria's security literature. Security agencies have been repeatedly accused of extensive human rights abuses and extrajudicial killings. The number of incidents of human rights violations in Nigeria's democracy has become a major concern. More disconcerting is that the justice sector has not effectively addressed the issue, largely due to the disregard of lawful processes and orders by the Nigerian state and its machinery. Findings of the paper noted, with the increasing pressure by both local and international human rights organizations, the Nigerian government since 2015 directed the military to make drastic adjustments in its operations to ensure strict adherence to the stipulated human rights standards. It was also discovered that with the adoption of these new measures, most human rights violations have reduced. It therefore recommends for the improvement and consolidation of their positive impact by complementing them with a more comprehensive counterterrorism policy.