Rights Groups, Security Oversight Bodies Meet to Strengthen Accountability in Southeast

By Praise Chinecherem

Civil society organisations, justice sector representatives and security oversight institutions converged in Owerri, Imo State Capital, to evolve strategies towards achieving accountability mechanisms and improved access to justice amid concerns over restrictions on civic freedoms in Southeast Nigeria.

The effort came during a one-day closed-door Accountability Dialogue on Civic Space held in Owerri, Imo State, by a consortium comprising the Rule of Law and Accountability Advocacy Centre (RULAAC), Virgin Heart Foundation (VHF) and Vivacious Development Initiative (VIDI), with support from the Fund for Global Human Rights through the Action Group on Free Civic Space.

The dialogue formed part of the 12-month project, “From Silencing to Accountability: Challenging the Securitisation of Civic Space in Southeast Nigeria,” covering Abia, Imo, Anambra, Enugu and Ebonyi states, and aimed to strengthen accountability, improve access to justice and promote a safer and more inclusive civic space.

In her opening address, Executive Director of Virgin Heart Foundation, Peace Dike, said civic space extends beyond civil society organisations to include the ability of ordinary citizens to express their views, organise peacefully and engage public institutions on issues affecting their communities.

She noted that while Nigeria has laws protecting fundamental rights, concerns have been raised about arrests and detention of journalists and civic actors, restrictions on peaceful assemblies, intimidation and difficulties in obtaining timely remedies where rights are allegedly violated.

She, however, stressed that the discussions were not an argument against security institutions, acknowledging their responsibility to tackle terrorism, kidnapping and other crimes, but called for security operations to be carried out alongside respect for citizens’ rights.

Dike urged participants to develop practical measures, including improved complaint and referral mechanisms, better access to legal support, responsible documentation of alleged violations and continuous capacity building for security personnel, journalists, lawyers and civic actors.

For her part, the Executive Director of Vivacious Development Initiative, Onyinyechi Joy Nwosu, said the project seeks to examine what happens when legitimate civic activity is viewed primarily through a security lens.

She described the dialogue as an opportunity to identify gaps in accountability from arrest and detention through judicial processes and access to remedies, while encouraging participants to produce concrete commitments that extend beyond discussions.

Providing the context for the dialogue, the RULAAC Executive Director Okechukwu Nwanguma acknowledged the severe insecurity affecting the Southeast, including killings, kidnappings, attacks on security personnel and organised violence, and said the state has a constitutional duty to protect lives and property.

He argued, however, that activities such as journalism, peaceful protest, human rights advocacy, community organising and public criticism are ordinary features of constitutional democracy and should not automatically be treated as security threats.

According to him, the project builds on RULAAC’s previous interventions documenting experiences of journalists and activists, and now seeks to examine accountability across the entire institutional chain, from arrest and detention to prosecution, remand, bail and judicial oversight.

“The dialogue was intended to move discussions beyond identifying alleged violations towards examining which institutions bear responsibility, what evidence justified official actions, where oversight may have failed and what remedies or consequences should follow where wrongdoing is established,” he said.

In a goodwill message, the Public Relations Officer of the Abia State Police Command, DSP Maureen Chinaka said the Police as an agency of government is governed by the law and its operatives are bound by such laws in their operations, while acknowledging that there may be bad eggs, just as in every other sphere of life.

She urged the citizens to get acquainted with established channels of reporting infractions, as well as be familiar with provisions of the constitution that guarantee their rights so as not not to fall victim of any form of suppression.

Chinaka revealed that the Abia Police Command has introduced a lot of reforms in line with the directive of the Inspector General of Police, aimed at improving police-civil relations, with a lot of awareness ongoing to get the public to know their rights.

In his remark, Barr Ikenna Obi, who represented the Solicitor General and Permanent Secretary of the Imo State Ministry of Justice, Barr Gloria Egwuagu said civil society organisations have an important role in ensuring that justice systems function effectively and called for greater collaboration among stakeholders rather than working in isolation.

For a human rights activist, Bar Chinedu Agu, the Southeast region can no longer continue in the trajectory of rights suppression and shrinking civic space, applauding the organizers for putting together the event.

Participants at the dialogue included representatives of the Police Service Commission, Complaint Response Unit, National Human Rights Commission, justice institutions, lawyers, media practitioners, civil society organisations and community groups, who explored practical ways to strengthen institutional accountability while supporting legitimate security responsibilities.