UN SPT Criticizes Nigeria’s Treatment of Detainees, Calls for Urgent Reforms

The SPT team visited a variety of detention facilities across Nigeria, including those holding men, women, and children.

SPT highlights poor cooperation and dire detention conditions in Nigeria, urging the government to establish a National Preventive Mechanism.

The United Nations Subcommittee on Prevention of Torture (SPT) concluded its second visit to Nigeria from September 8 to 19, 2024, with a damning assessment of the country's treatment of individuals in detention. The SPT’s mission aimed to evaluate whether Nigeria had improved its capacity to protect the human rights of people deprived of liberty and established a National Preventive Mechanism (NPM) in accordance with the Optional Protocol to the Convention against Torture (OPCAT), ratified by Nigeria in 2009.

However, the delegation reported significant obstacles and a lack of cooperation from Nigerian authorities. “The delegation regrets the lack of cooperation from Nigerian authorities, during and prior to the visit. We were confronted with a climate of hostility and faced access issues in several places of detention,” said Shujune Muhammad, head of the SPT delegation. She emphasized that Nigeria is obligated under international law to facilitate the SPT’s work without interference.

The SPT team visited a variety of detention facilities across Nigeria, including those holding men, women, and children. They also inspected police stations, criminal investigation departments, and detention centers operated by anti-trafficking and drug enforcement agencies. The conditions they observed were described as appalling. “The situation in most places of detention is abysmal. Nigeria must urgently take measures to prevent torture and ill-treatment, and to improve conditions of detention,” Muhammad stated.

The SPT also met with high-level Nigerian officials, including the Minister of Justice, parliamentarians, and judges, as well as civil society groups and UN agencies. Yet, the delegation expressed deep frustration over Nigeria's slow progress in establishing a functional NPM, a crucial mechanism meant to prevent torture and monitor detention conditions. “It has been 10 years since the first SPT visit, and Nigeria is yet to establish a functional national preventive mechanism. This unfortunately shows that the prevention of torture and ill-treatment is not taken seriously by the State party,” Muhammad said.

At the conclusion of their visit, the delegation presented confidential preliminary findings to the Nigerian government, raising concerns about the widespread torture and lack of legal safeguards in detention facilities. A full report, containing detailed observations and recommendations, will be sent to Nigeria in the near future. The SPT urged the government to make the report public to ensure transparency and encourage the implementation of reforms.

The delegation’s appeal for Nigeria to urgently establish an independent and effective NPM reflects the critical need for legal and institutional changes to address systemic issues in the country's detention facilities. Without these reforms, the SPT warned, the prevalence of torture and ill-treatment will persist, with serious implications for human rights in Nigeria.