The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has hailed the judgment of the Federal High Court under Justice Evelyn Maha for ruling in favor of six women who were harassed and abused during a a raid by the Nigerian Police and the Abuja Environmental Protection Board (AEPB) in April 2019.
A member of the Commission’s governing board, Mr. Kemi Okenyodo who addressed a press conference Wednesday in Abuja said the judgment held that the arrest of the applicants without cause, the beating, molestation, and dehumanizing treatment amongst other ill treatments was a violation of the women’s rights under the Nigerian constitution.
She said that the judgment awarded two million naira to four million naira damages against the AEPB, Nigerian Security and Civil defence corps, Inspector General of Police, and Inspector Thomas Nzemekwe AKA Yellow in favor of the six applicants.
The judgment according to her also issued an injunction restraining the Police, Civil Defense, and other respondents from arresting women in such circumstances and in a manner that discriminates on the basis of gender.
She mentioned that from the judgment, the sixth respondents, AEPB were presumptuous in their roles and acted ultra vires, beyond its scope and powers regarding the raid.
Okenyodo noted that the judgment regarding the discriminatory arrest of people based on their gender, particularly the arrest of women in the streets and other places becomes a reference point for protecting women’s rights in the future.
She urged that Nigerian authorities to prioritise the implementation of the decisions and ensure the enforcement of laws to preserve women’s dignity and bodily integrity.
