SERAP Asks CJN To Reopen Courts, Hear Human Rights Abuses Linked To COVID-19
The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) on Wednesday, called on the Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Tanko Muhammad to immediately instruct reopening of the courts in order to hear cases of human rights violations and abuses linked to the novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) in the country.
Recall that courts all over the country were on March 23, ordered to be shut by the CJN, as a measure to contain the spread of the virus.
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The federal government had last Sunday also ordered the lockdown of three States of Abuja, Lagos and Ogun. Other state governments across the country have also been locked down by their respective governors, all in a bid to prevent the spread and possible outbreak of the disease.
But SERAP in a tweet said, the courts needed to reopen to hear cases of human rights violations, as COVID-19 did not mean suspension of the Nigerian constitution.
Part of the tweet reads: “Effective access to justice, especially at this time when citizens face increased repression, should be the most basic human right of a system which purports to guarantee legal rights.
“Everyone is entitled to the protection of the law. It is about protecting ordinary people.”
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SERAP did not, however mention any instance of human rights violations or abuses.
