The Chief of Army Staff, Olufemi Oluyede, has been commended for improving human rights in the course of internal military operations in the fight against insecurity.

The commendation was made during the 5th Edition of the Nigerian Army Human Rights Seminar held on Friday in Enugu.

The seminar was organised by the Department of Civil-Military Affairs, Army Headquarters Abuja, with the theme: “Human Rights and Operational Effectiveness: Establishing the Nexus.”

Gold Chibisi, the chief of civil military affairs, said that the seminar, which was in its fifth edition, was necessitated by a new operational environment the army found itself.

“Today, there is a new operational environment; we are operating right in the midst of civilians,” he said.

He said the Nigerian Army, in spite of the operational complexities and challenges, was obliged to respect the fundamental principles of human rights based on the provisions of international law.

Ms Chibuisi said that the Nigerian Army, under the current leadership of Mr Oluyede, had zero tolerance for human rights violations during its internal security operations.

“A civil-military desk has been established where complaints about misconduct of military personnel are reported,” he said.

He lauded the COAS for his commitment to upholding the sanctity of human rights and ensuring the conduct of military discipline during military operations.

The state chairman of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Venatius Odo, commended the COAS for organising such a seminar to interact with stakeholders on violations of human rights by army personnel during operations.

Mr Odo said that human rights were a fundamental right of everyone, and rights born with an individual, which must be respected by the military during internal security operations.

He said that the seminar should be able to strike a balance between what the army should do and what they are doing.

In his remarks, the special guest of honour, Justice A. Ozoemena, represented by Justice Ogbonna Onovo, SAN, said that the seminar was timely and apt.

He commended the army authorities for holding the seminar, adding that human rights are the basis on which societies are built.

He, however, said that the issue of violations of human rights was not peculiar to Nigeria alone, as it also occurs in so many other countries, where insecurity thrives.

He said: “I am confident that together we can develop a strategy to promote human rights and national security.

“I am confident that we will all be able to find a common ground between military operations and human rights.

(NAN)