Boko Haram: Commission reiterates commitment to rights of displaced persons

The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has re-iterated its commitment to rights of displaced persons affected by insurgency and other conflicts in the North East region.
The Executive Secretary of the commission, Mr Tony Ojukwu, made this known on Thursday at a two-day training of Protection Monitors on monitoring and documentation organised by the NHRC in collaboration with United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in Yola.
Ojukwu said the monitors were drawn from Adamawa, Borno and Yobe states.
“Most of the displaced persons are returning home now, but their humanitarian needs still remain varied and various within the camps or host communities.
“To ameliorate the situation, the commission in collaboration with UNHCR commenced this IDP protection issues with a way to finding solutions to those protection challenges being faced by the affected population,” Ojukwu said.
He noted that over the years the issue of protection relating to IDPs initiated by the commission and UNHCR has been recording successes in the Population of Concern (POC).
Ojukwu said that under the 2019 project, the commission would focus on eight local government areas in Borno and two each in Adamawa and Yobe states.
“Under the 2019 project, attention will also be paid to the monitoring of detention facilities and relevant topics have been incorporated in the training module to fully equip the monitors on adequate skills for effective monitoring and documentation focusing on minimum standards, rules for treatment of prisoners and also access to justice.
“We need to bring into focus people who have come into conflict with the law due to displacement and consequently find themselves in prison and other detention centres,” said the executive secretary.
He urged the monitors to ensure issues hitherto went unnoticed and unreported were brought to fore for redress.
Mr Tejan Cole, who represented the UNHCR Country Representative, reiterated the commitment of the UN commission to continue to partner with NHRC in the protection of IDPs rights.
He charged the monitors to show more commitment to the training in enhancing their capacity to do the job with proficiency. (NAN)