Stories from UNODC Nigeria

UNODC Commemorates the International Day of Women Judges: Interview with Honourable Justice Binta Fatimat Murtala Nyako

On the International Day of Women Judges, UNODC sat down with Honourable Justice Binta Fatimat Murtala Nyako, one of the longest serving judges of the Federal High Court of Nigeria, to talk about women in the Nigerian judiciary and what the day means for Nigeria.

 

Honourable Justice Nyako is a human rights advocate and judge of the Federal High Court of Nigeria. Prior to her appointment to the Federal High Court in July 2000, Justice Nyako served as a State Counsel at the Katsina State Ministry of Justice from 1983 to 1993, eventually becoming the Solicitor General of Katsina State in 1989. Following her three-year tenure as Solicitor-General, she was appointed Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice of Katsina State and held office from 1994 to 1996. In 2018, Justice Nyako, led a team of judges, to preside over mass trials of terrorism related offences, that were heard before special courts of the Federal Hight Court in Kainji, Niger state.

 

Justice Nyako was previously the President of the National Association of Women Judges in Nigeria and is currently the incoming President of the International Association of Women Judges. Justice Nyako was one of two Africans to be elected as a member of the International Association of Judges in 2012.

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Apply now to become a Youth Peace Champion for STRIVE Juvenile in Nigeria

What's the STRIVE Juvenile youth-led awareness raising campaign?

 

Funded by the European Union (EU) and implemented by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), in close partnership with the Government of Nigeria, the project 'STRIVE Juvenile: Preventing and Responding to Violence Against Children by Terrorist and Violent Extremist Groups' is launching its youth-led awareness raising campaign in Nigeria.

 

The campaign aims to build the resilience of children and their communities in targeted local government areas of Borno state as a key component of support for reintegration and reconciliation efforts. It will contribute to the:

 

The campaign will benefit from the support  [Read More]

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#NigeriaDecides2023: UNODC and the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights partner with the Nigerian Police Force to enhance police accountability during the 2023 Elections

As Nigerians head to the polls tomorrow to exercise their democratic right, most will interact with security agencies responsible for policing the elections and ensuring that citizens are able to cast their votes freely and safely. As the lead security agency supporting the electoral process, the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) is tasked with ensuring the safety and security of persons and property, ensuring strict compliance and enforcement of the Constitution, the Electoral Act, the Police Act and all other laws, managing crowds and generally providing a conducive environment for the peaceful conduct of elections.

 

But who polices the police, particularly during the elections? The Police Complaints Response Unit (CRU), the internal oversight body of the NPF, has, since 2015, managed a public-facing, technology-based complaints system designed to respond to all cases of police misconduct that might occur during police-citizen interactions.  Once complaints have been investigated, the Unit makes recommendations to the Inspector General of Police who then directs the cases to the NPF's disciplinary bodies. CRU officers then report back to complainants about the status of their complaints and how they have been resolved. There are also  external oversight bodies such as the Police Service Commission (PSC) and the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), working to promote greater police transparency and accountability in their interactions with the public.

 

The Police Service Commission (PSC) is charged

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