Human Rights Violation by Law Enforcement Agents in Nigeria: Investigating the Incidence of Human Rights Abuse by The Police Force and The Frameworks in Place to Address These Issues.

With an emphasis on the recurring trends of abuse and the legal frameworks put in place to deal with such misconduct, this study examined the frequency of human rights abuses by the Nigerian Police Force. Despite having constitutional and statutory protections like the 1999 Constitution (as amended), the Administration of Criminal Justice Act (2015), and the Police Act (2020), as well as being a signatory to important international human rights instruments like the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), and the African Charter on Human and Peoples' Rights, widespread violations still plague law enforcement operations in Nigeria. Using documented reports from reliable organisations like Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, and the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), the study identifies and investigates frequent abuses, including extrajudicial killings, arbitrary detention, torture, unlawful arrests, and excessive use of force. It also looks at the structural causes of these abuses, including judicial incompetence, institutional weakness, corruption, militarised policing culture, and inadequate police welfare. Despite the existence of strong legislative restrictions, the study discovers that a lack of political will and a culture of impunity frequently compromise execution. Through the use of a qualitative methodology and secondary data analysis, the study emphasises how urgently training, accountability systems, law enforcement, and institutional control need to be changed. It concluded with important suggestions for advancing a police force that upholds human rights and fortifying Nigeria's legal and democratic systems. The report adds to the current conversation on protecting human rights and changing Nigerian policing.

Police, Police brutality, Law enforcement, Human rights, violation

1. Abdullah, A. (2025, January 13). Egbetokun orders additional training for police officers on human rights, ethical conduct. https://www.thecable.ng/egbetokun-orders-additional-training-for-police-officers-on-human-rights-ethical-conduct/ [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

2. Action4Justice Nigeria. (n.d.). Unlawful detention in Nigeria. Action4Justice. https://nigeria.action4justice.org/legal_areas/detention-and-bail/unlawful-detention-in-nigeria/?lang=en [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

3. Aderanti, G. (2023, April 22). Revealed: Forces behind rising incidents of unlawful detention. Available online at https://thenationonlineng.net/revealed-forces-behind-rising-incidents-of-unlawful-detention/ [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

4. Ajanwachuku, M. A. Mgbolu, A. K. & Chikaodili, N. I. (2024). Examination of the Effects of Police Brutality and Abuse of Human Rights in Nigeria. Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka Journal of Commercial and Property Law, 11(2), 66-73. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

5. Akinlabi, O.M. (2022). Use of Force, Corruption, and implications for trust in the Police. In: Police-Citizen Relations in Nigeria. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

6. Akinola, O. O. (2025). Has anything changed? Impact of the Nigeria police force Act 2020 on police practices and reforms. IKR Journal of Arts, Humanities & Social Science (IKRJAHSS), 1(1), 16-20. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

7. Amnesty International (2020). Nigeria: Time to End Impunity, Torture and Other Violations by Special Anti-Robbery Squad (Sars). https://www.amnesty.org/en/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/AFR4495052020ENGLISH.pdf [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

8. Amnesty International (2023). Unlawful attacks and killings. https://www.amnesty.org/en/location/africa/west-and-central-africa/nigeria/report-nigeria/ [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

9. Anzizi, E. (2024). A comprehensive analysis of the Nigeria police force's inability to curtail crime and conflict: causative factors and prospects for reform. International Journal of Law, Politics & Humanities Research, 4(6), 203-214. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

10. Chukwuji, D. (2024, November 15). Corruption without consequence: Nigeria’s silent tragedy of impunity. Available online at https://ikengaonline.com/2024/11/15/corruption-without-consequence-nigerias-silent-tragedy-of-impunity-by-dave-chukwuji/ [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

11. Inimiesi, O. P. & Kalama, E. R. (2023). Policing: Crime Control and Operation Doo-Akpo in Bayelsa State, Nigeria. Osun Sociological Review (OSR), 9(1), 159-182. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

12. Inimiesi, O. P. & Maduawuchi, E. (2022). Police brutality and human rights abuse in Bayelsa state, Nigeria: A sociological insight. International Journal of Humanities and Social Science Research, 8(2), 19 -28. https://www.socialsciencejournal.in/archives/2022/vol8/issue2 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

13. Inimiesi, O. P., Waripamowei, W. T., & Ebitari, W. (2022). Judicial Effectiveness: A Panacea for Militating Police Brutality in Bayelsa State, Nigeria. International Journal of Innovative Legal & Political Studies 10(2):27-37. https://seahipaj.org/journals-ci/june-2022/IJILPS/full/IJILPS-J-4-2022.pdf [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

14. Mohammed, Y. (2017). SPECIAL REPORT: Jungle justice: Why Nigerians take law into their hands. https://www.nextedition.com.ng/special-report-jungle-justice-nigerians-take-law-hands [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

15. Naankiel, P. W. & Ayokha, F. E. F. (2016). National Security, Human Rights Violations and Police Reforms in Nigeria’s Fourth Republic. Nigeria Police Academy Journal of Humanities, 1(1) 12-13. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

16. News Desk (2021, June 10). My ‘shoot at sight’ order intact – Buhari. https://dailynigerian.com/shoot-sight-order-intact/ [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

17. Nkobowo, F. (2022, September 30th). Fundamental Rights Under the 1999 Nigerian Constitution (Chapter 4 of the Constitution). Available at https://ls-ng.com/fundamental-rights-under-the-1999-nigerian-constitution-chapter-4-of-the-constitution/ [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

18. Nwagwu, F. (2025, April 14). Public protests and emplacing a culture of human rights-sensitive policing. https://www.thecable.ng/public-protests-and-emplacing-a-culture-of-human-rights-sensitive-policing/ [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

19. Nwocha, M. E. & Udude, K.O. (2020). Contextualizing the Inherence and Inalienability Theories of Human Rights. IOSR Journal of Humanities and Social Science (IOSR-JHSS), 25(1), 52-58. https://www.iosrjournals.org/iosr-jhss/papers/Vol.%2025%20Issue1/Series-9/H2501095258.pdf. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

20. Ogunode, S. (2015). Criminal justice system in Nigeria: For the rich or the poor? Humanities and Social Sciences Review, 4(1). [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

21. Ojoye, T. (2018, September 9th). Police powers to arrest and search. Available online at https://punchng.com/police-powers-to-arrest-and-search/ [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

22. Oluwafemi, A. (2021). Know Your Rights: It’s illegal to be detained for over 48 hours without a court order. Retrieved April 21 from https://www.thecable.ng/rights-police-detain-48-hours-illegal/ [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

23. Omojuyigbe, O. (2021, September 8). Despite #EndSARS, unrepentant policemen continue life of extortion, harassment, intimidation. Available online at https://punchng.com/despite-endsars-unrepentant-policemen-continue-life-of-extortion-harassment-intimidation/ [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

24. Oyibokure, G. I., Okereka, O. P. & Mukoro, A. (2023). The Nigeria Police Force and the Challenge of Combating Internal Insecurity in Nigeria. Social Sciences, Humanities and Education Journal (SHE Journal), 4(3) 597-615. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

25. Richard, A. A (2021). Accounts of unlawful use of force and misconduct of the Nigerian Police in the enforcement of COVID-19 Measures. Journal of Police and Criminal Psychology. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

26. Salihu, H. A., Agu, C. R. (2024). Centralized Police System and the Security Challenges in Nigeria: The Need for a State-Based Approach to Policing. Palgrave Macmillan. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

27. Sanya, O. (2020). #EndSARS: A brief history of police brutality in Nigeria. Africaportal. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

• Human Rights Violation by Law Enforcement Agents in Nigeria: Investigating the incidence of human rights abuse by the Police force and the frameworks in place to address these issues.