The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has summoned the Chairman of the Abuja Environmental Protection Board (AEPB) to appear before it today over raids on some nightclubs and relaxation centres in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
A statement by a senior official of the NHRC, Mr. Oparah Lambert, Saturday in Abuja, said the invitation of the AEPB chair followed a petition the commission received from a coalition of civil society organizations who protested at the commission’s office in Abuja on Friday.
He said the civil society organizations who were working in the field of human rights in Nigeria brought a petition of gender based right violations against the authorities of the FCTA and the Nigerian police. “It was upon receiving the petition by the executive secretary, Tony Ojukwu, he now issued a summons to the management of the AEPB to appear before it, “ he said.
The statement said that the NHRC boss vowed that no human right violations would be swept under the carpet, saying the commission would ensure that justice was done on the case of the alleged raids and gender based violence against women in Abuja.
He said if there was any situation warranting the relevant authorities to carry out raids, such must be carried out within the confines of the law devoid of gender based violence, including rape as alleged by victims of the said raids.
Daily Trust.
