by Christiana Gokyo, Jos
A Human Rights Lecture for troops of Operation Safe Haven (OPSH) in Plateau State was organised as a mechanism to prevent the violation of the rights of innocent civilians by troops and other personnel of Operation SAFE HAVEN.
Speaking at the event, which held at Headquarters 3 Division, Maxwell Khobe Cantonment Jos, the General Officer Commanding 3 Division Nigerian Army and Commander Operation SAFE HAVEN, Major-General AE Abubakar, said troops of OPSH Joint Operations Area have constantly undergone trainings on human management from military institutions and civil society organizations.
“These trainings have boosted the capacity of personnel during internal security operations, where troops engage civilians on regular basis.
“The military personnel deployed on OPSH have been inundated on the need to continually operate within the ambit of the law, with maximum respect for the rights of innocent civilians,” he stated.
Major-General AE Abubakar urged the participants to educate their colleagues, who were not opportune to attend the lectures, in order to ensure that the knowledge gained trickles down to every personnel to guide their conduct.
He noted that the lecture was in fulfillment of the Chief of Defence Staff, Gen CG Musa’s resolve to improve the professional capability of military personnel on internal security operations across the country, which is also aptly captured in the Training Directive to all formations under the guidance of the Chief of Army Staff, Lt-Gen TA Lagbaja.
While delivering a lecture on the topic, ‘Protection of Civilians,’ the guest speaker, Major AA Goni, said that the human rights lecture was important to troops of OPSH, owing to the people-centric nature of the operations.
“There must not be selective protection of civilians during conflict. No intensity of military operations would justify unlawful killing of civilians,” he stressed.
Also speaking, Barr. Lovina Abbah, a Human Rights Lawyer, who delivered the second lecture on ‘Torture and Cruel Treatment,’ said by respecting human rights, military personnel are likely to gain the confidence of the civil populace, which could aid military operations for optimal success.
She noted that, the law does not permit the use of torture to extract information from detainees, and urged the participants to embrace forensic method of investigation to determine facts of cases being investigated.
Barr. Abbah, therefore, advocated that operational guidelines should be followed, while military personnel are on operations.
The team leader and Special Adviser to the Chief of Defence Staff on Human Rights, Air Commodore OO Akisanya (Rtd), disclosed that the lecture was conducted to improve the operational effectiveness of military personnel operating in a joint environment.
Highlights of the event include Lectures on Protection of Civilians/Torture and Cruel Treatment, interactive session, presentation of souvenirs and group photographs. The training was organised by the Defense Headquarters.