FOREWORD
The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), pursuant to section 6 (d) of the National Human Rights Common Act 1995 as amended is obligated to visit persons, police cells and other places of detention in order to ascertain the conditions thereof and make recommendations to appropriate authorities. In this regard the 2020 Report of the Audit of Police Detention Centres in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) is meant to assess the level of respect for the fundamental human rights of persons in detention facilities of the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) in the FCT.
This exercise is further necessitated by the fact that Nigeria is a party to all major international and regional human rights instruments including but not limited to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), the Convention against Torture, Cruel, Inhuman and Degrading Treatment or Punishment (CAT) and the African Charter on Human and Peoples Rights (ACHPR). Furthermore, the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 as (amended) and the United Nations Standard Minimum Rules on Treatment of Prisoners set bench marks for the treatment of suspects and persons in detention.
