At times authorities sought to investigate, and when found culpable, held police, military, or other security force personnel accountable for the use of excessive or deadly force or for the deaths of persons in custody, but impunity in such cases remained a significant problem. The military continued its efforts to train personnel to apply international humanitarian law and international human rights law in operational settings. It’s the subscription fees paid by our members that fund the EIN website. As of November, Uhia remained in detention. On May 27, Amnesty International published a report documenting the prolonged detention of terrorism suspects, including children, in deplorable conditions in military facilities in the Northeast. According to an NGO, education was a key indicator of whether a girl would marry as a child–82 percent of women with no education were married before 18, as opposed to 13 percent of women who had at least finished secondary school. There were reports that members of the security forces committed human rights abuses. Download [317 KB] ... 2019 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices: Nigeria. The Department of State Services is responsible for internal security and reports to the president through the national security adviser. Maritime kidnappings remained common as militants turned to piracy and related crimes to support themselves. It was unclear whether confessions were completely voluntary. President Buhari disbanded SARS units in October following nationwide #EndSARS protests against police brutality. Monrovia, Liberia – On Tuesday, March 30, 2021, the 2020 edition of the Country Reports on Human Rights Practices was released by the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor. Other protection concerns included terrorist attacks or bombings, lack of accountability and diversion of humanitarian aid, drug abuse, hostility and insecurity, harassment of women and girls, and lack of humanitarian assistance for host communities. In April 2019 President Buhari signed legislation increasing the legal national monthly minimum wage. Many of the corruption cases, particularly the high-profile ones, remained pending before the court due to administrative or procedural delays. A large number of alleged cases in antiunion discrimination and obstruction to collective bargaining were reported during the year. Both groups subjected many women and girls to sexual and gender-based violence, including forced marriages, sexual slavery, and rape. The 47-page document is essentially a rehash of events and reports during 2020 and draws substantially from the assessment of Nigeria’s human rights record by Amnesty International. Penalties were not commensurate with those for similar crimes. The law provides for up to three years’ imprisonment, a monetary fine, or both for conviction of spousal battery. In August singer Yahaya Sharif-Aminu was convicted of blasphemy and sentenced to death by a Kano State sharia court. Their bodies were found with vital organs missing, and it was suspected that the organs were harvested for ritualistic use. Some demobilized former child soldiers were awaiting formal reintegration into communities. One body from the toll gate showed signs of blunt force trauma. 2019 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices: Nigeria Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor. These groups targeted anyone perceived as disagreeing with the groups’ political or religious beliefs or interfering with their access to resources. EJK: The UN reported that security forces committed more than 2,000 killings between January and September, many of which “may constitute extrajudicial killings.” One example is the August 20 killing of journalists Andres Nieves Zacarias and Victor … Anyone convicted of subjecting a widow to harmful traditional practices is subject to two years’ imprisonment, a monetary fine, or both. Three major groups–the Hausa, Igbo, and Yoruba–together constituted approximately one-half the population. There are no continuing education requirements for attorneys, and police officers were often assigned to serve as prosecutors. In their pursuit of corruption cases, law enforcement agencies allegedly carried out searches and arrests without warrants. The minimum wage was not higher than the poverty income level. Amnesty documented cases in which children detained in the facilities died as a result of the poor conditions. Moreover, army personnel in some cases threatened civilians who provided, or were perceived to have provided, information to journalists or NGOs on misconduct by the military. Sexual exploitation of children remained a significant problem. World Report 2020 is Human Rights Watch’s 30th annual review of human rights practices around the globe. Many IDPs with access to farmland were told by the military to refrain from planting taller crops for security reasons. In Port Harcourt union members were harassed in an effort to silence opposition to the unilateral abolition of the 30,000 naira ($78) monthly national minimum wage. Persons with HIV/AIDS often lost their jobs or were denied health-care services. Violators risk prosecution, but cases rarely reached conclusion. In October, #EndSARS protests were staged in states across the country to demand an end to police brutality. Sharia courts usually carried out caning immediately. There were no government restrictions on academic freedom or cultural events. In some traditional southern communities, widows fell under suspicion when their husbands died. Government enforcement of the minimum wage, particularly by state governments, remained sporadic despite workers’ protests and warning strikes. I am honored to release the 45th annual Country Reports on Human Rights Practices and to reaffirm the United States’ commitment to placing human rights at the center of our foreign policy. Members of both Christian and Muslim groups continued to report some state and local government laws discriminated against them, including by limiting their rights to freedom of expression and assembly and in obtaining government employment. Although the constitution and law prohibit arbitrary arrest and detention, police and security services at times employed these practices. The government did not effectively enforce these laws in many parts of the country. The testimony of women carried less weight than that of men in many criminal courts. State and local governments forcibly evicted some residents and demolished their homes, often without sufficient notice or alternative compensation, and sometimes in violation of court orders. Participation of Women and Members of Minority Groups: No laws limit participation of women or members of minority groups in the political process. Those abducted by Boko Haram were subjected to physical and psychological abuse, forced labor, and forced religious conversions. Strike actions, including many in nonessential services, may be subject to a compulsory arbitration procedure leading to a final award, which is binding on the parties concerned. Police often refused to intervene in domestic disputes or blamed the victim for provoking the abuse. Some of those killed were beheaded. Several NGOs provided LGBTI groups with legal advice and training in advocacy, media responsibility, and HIV/AIDS awareness; they also provided safe havens for LGBTI individuals. Sharia courts may pass sentences based on the sharia penal code, including for hudud offenses (serious criminal offenses with punishments prescribed in the Quran) that provide for punishments such as caning, amputation, and death by stoning. In July, Human Rights Watch reported there was credible evidence that police and community night watchmen (bekcis) committed serious abuses against at least 14 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 2020 Defendants generally did not challenge caning sentences in court as a violation of statutory law. Section 2. According to the constitution, women and girls are supposed to receive career and vocational guidance at all levels, as well as access to quality education, education advancement, and lifelong learning. Essential services included the Central Bank of Nigeria; the Nigerian Security Printing and Minting Company, Ltd.; any corporate body licensed to carry out banking under the Banking Act; postal service; sound broadcasting; telecommunications; maintenance of ports, harbors, docks, or airports; transportation of persons, goods, or livestock by road, rail, sea, or river; road cleaning; and refuse collection. Various reports indicated street mobs killed suspected criminals during the year. BUREAU OF DEMOCRACY, HUMAN RIGHTS, AND LABOR. 2020 Human Rights Reports Preface Preface (Arabic) Preface (Chinese) Preface (Farsi) Preface (French) Preface (Russian) Preface (Spanish) Overview and Acknowledgements Overview and Acknowledgements (Arabic) Overview and Acknowledgements (Chinese) Overview and Acknowledgements (Farsi) Overview and Acknowledgements (French) Overview and … Employers with fewer than 50 employees are exempt from this minimum, and the large majority of workers were not covered. Children also worked in the agricultural sector and in mines. Approximately 74 percent of inmates were in pretrial detention or remanded. Sexual Harassment: Sexual harassment remained a common problem. In 2019 an international organization verified the Nigerian military recruited and used at least two children younger than age 15 in support roles. Operation Safe Corridor, a deradicalization program, graduated more than 600 former low-level Boko Haram affiliate members and former detainees. Many customary practices also did not recognize a woman’s right to inherit property, and many widows became destitute when their in-laws took virtually all the deceased husband’s property. As of September there were 18 parties registered with INEC. Recent Elections: The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) is the independent electoral body responsible for overseeing elections by regulating the process and preventing electoral misconduct. The law provides for the protection of factory employees in hazardous situations. Inadequate medical treatment caused some prisoners to die from treatable illnesses, such as HIV/AIDS, malaria, and tuberculosis. Freedom to Participate in the Political Process. Of the states, 28 and the FCT established judicial panels of inquiry to investigate allegations of human rights violations carried out by the Nigerian Police Force and the disbanded SARS units. Although not recognized as Jews by mainstream Jewish communities, between 2,000 and 30,000 ethnic Igbos claimed Jewish descent and practiced some form of Judaism. There were reports in some of these elections of corrupt practices, including high incidences of vote buying. The law criminalizes the production, procurement, distribution, and possession of child pornography with prison terms of 10 years, a substantial monetary fine, or both. The International Labor Organization (ILO), however, stated that government defined “essential services” in an overly broad manner. On December 17, the Katsina State government, in conjunction with federal government authorities, secured the release of the boys. Independent Monitoring: There was limited monitoring of prisons by independent nongovernmental observers. Most female PIED bombers were coerced in some form and were often drugged. The law does not prohibit general antiunion discrimination; it only protects unskilled workers. In some cases private citizens or the government brought charges against perpetrators of human rights abuses, but most cases lingered in court or went unresolved after an initial investigation. In other areas communities viewed a widow as a part of her husband’s property to be “inherited” by his family. By year’s end 10 states had adopted the national disability law including Kano, Jigawa, Anambra, Kogi, Ondo, Lagos, Ekiti, Plateau, Kwara, and Bauchi. Public investment was insufficient to achieve universal basic education. The DSS also reportedly committed human rights abuses. If an objection is raised, the ministry has an indefinite period to review and deliberate on the registration. The practice of demanding sexual favors in exchange for employment or university grades remained common. Most independent observers agreed the election outcome was credible despite logistical challenges, localized violence, and some irregularities. The U.S. Department of State submits reports on all countries receiving … The government participated in a regional protection dialogue to continue to work through a tripartite agreement with UNHCR and Cameroon signed in 2017 to ensure that any Nigerian refugees in Cameroon returning to Nigeria were fully informed and gave their consent. On October 19, IMN members protested El-Zakzaky’s continued detention on the first anniversary of the violent clash with police in Zaria. 2020 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices. Children engaged in the worst forms of child labor identified in the country including: commercial agriculture and hazardous farm work (cocoa, cassava); street hawking; exploitative cottage industries such as iron and other metal works; hazardous mechanical workshops; exploitative and hazardous domestic work; commercial fishing; exploitative and hazardous pastoral and herding activities; construction; transportation; mining and quarrying; prostitution and pornography; forced and compulsory labor and debt bondage; forced participation in violence, criminal activity, and ethnic, religious, and political conflicts; and involvement in drug peddling. The law criminalizes incest and provides prison sentences of up to 10 years. At year’s end they remained fugitives, while two more suspects had yet to be charged because authorities could not locate them. Cable and satellite transmission was less restricted. Customary courts functioned in most of the 36 states. Access to Asylum: The law provides for the granting of asylum or refugee status, and the government has established a system for providing protection to refugees. Land disputes, competition over dwindling resources, ethnic differences, and settler-indigene tensions contributed to clashes between herdsmen and farmers throughout the north-central part of the country. In 2019 both organizations started investigations into, and brought indictments against, various active and former high-level government officials. They are also necessary to access services such as education. In general the public considered HIV to be a disease, a result of immoral behavior, and a punishment for same-sex sexual conduct. Access to Basic Services: Legal documentation such as birth certificates, national identity cards, certificate of indigenes and voter registration are the key civil documentation to prove state of origin and nationality. Boys were forced to work as laborers on farms, in restaurants, for small businesses, and in granite mines, as well as street peddlers and beggars. In May, President Muhammadu Buhari began his second four year term following general elections marred by political violence which killed at least 11 people . In some cases police detained suspects without informing them of the charges against them or allowing access to counsel and family members; such detentions often included solicitation of bribes. There were reports of military forces committing extrajudicial killings of suspected members of the groups. Many children were homeless. Persons with disabilities faced social stigma, exploitation, and discrimination, and relatives often regarded them as a source of shame. 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