The House of Representatives is considering a constitutional amendment bill seeking to prohibit the public parade of suspects by the police and other law enforcement agencies. This follows the widespread condemnation the practice has witnessed from human rights groups, the judiciary and civil society organisations in the country for decades. A new subsection is to be inserted to explicitly outlaw the public parade of arrested persons. Reacting to the proposed amendment, pro-democracy advocate and founder of Women Arise, Dr Joe Okei-Odumakin, commended the House for taking steps to align Nigeria’s constitutional framework with international human rights standards. She said, “There is an existing absolute ban on torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment of persons, which undermines personal dignity under International Humanitarian Law and International Human Rights Law.

Source: Punch January 18, 2026 07:54 UTC