NHRC To Buhari: Decriminalise Drug Use, Show Mercy To Convicts

The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has called for decriminalisation of drug possession and personal use in the country.

This, the commission said, would go a long way to reduce human rights violations “as well as result in the decongestion of Correctional Centres and other detention facilities, thereby reducing running costs and exposure to COVID-19 and other health challenges.”

According to the NHRC, the criminal provisions of drug laws have put drug users in a position where they are arbitrarily arrested and detained while their rights are also violated by security operatives.

Executive Secretary of the Commission, Tony Ojukwu Esq., stated this at the 47th session of the human rights council on drug policies and arbitrary detention.

Ojukwu urged President Muhammadu Buhari and respective state governors to use their offices to show mercy to drug convicts, particularly because of the circumstances surrounding them.

“Given the stigma associated with drug offences, most persons associated with drug-related offences are not likely to obtain the prerogative of mercy”, Ojukwu noted in a statement made available to THE WHISTLER.

He explained that there was need to also amend existing laws on drugs so as to capture provisions for the treatment and rehabilitation of drug users.

The NHRC ES further recommended the “adoption of non-custodial measures for appropriate cases in order to avoid human rights violations.”

He linked the cases of illicit drug use to poverty and unemployment, adding that the government should create avenues where the youth population could be productively engaged.

“The Executive Secretary also stressed the need to conduct regular training for Personnel and Officers of the Drug Enforcement agencies such as the NDLEA in Nigeria and the Police on international, regional, and national human rights standards, especially regarding arrests and detention, to forestall human rights violations,” the statement partly read.