Going by the grouse of many Nigerians against the nation’s constitution, one of the most complained aspects of the country’s laws is the rights of citizens which includes; the right to live, freedom of movement, choice of leaders during elections and so on. In all of the constitutional provisions, penalties are prescribed for offenders. The rights of the people have become so important that many legal practitioners now pride themselves as human rights lawyers while some other strong-hearted persons equally style themselves as human rights activists.
Meanwhile, each time issues of human rights abuses prop up for public debate, focus is always on the part of government failure to protect such rights. When the police, for instance detains a fellow Nigerian beyond certain times as stipulated in law, it is often taken to represent the stand of government. And this also attracts the attention of as many of the activists in the country as are aware of such abnormalities. Perhaps, unknown to many, the same laws that protect the citizens also does same to governments and institutions.
However, the current happenings in the Nigerian society point to the notion that either the citizens do not understand that they are also bound by law to respect the rights of governments and other members of the society or that they do not understand the laws to be a two-way enforceable arrangement. For example, a wealthy Nigerian landlord who invites the army to arrest a debtor-tenant for assault and detention in a military camp instead of police custody offends the rights laws that permit such a debtor to be taken before a court of competent jurisdiction or the police. In as much as it is the right of the landlord to be paid his rent, it is equally the right of his defaulting tenant to be taken before the appropriate authorities when a breach of trust occours.
Three incidences of human rights abuses on the part of Nigerians took place within the last two months. They involved two prominent Nigerians and another fellow that look fit enough to enlist into the army of human rights activists in the country. The first was Senator Adams Oshomhole who missed his Air Peace flight from Murtala Mohammed International Airport Lagos to Abuja on the 11th of June, 2025. Instead of feeling remorseful, he got angry at the air line and caused serious commotion at the airport. He assaulted members of staff of the airline. Against the rights of other citizens to free movement into and out of the departure terminal, the politician went as far as forcefully barricading the terminal’s entrance.
In another case, King Wasiu Ayinde, also known as KWAM 1 boarded ValueJet aircraft at the Nnamdi Azikiwe Airport Abuja on his way to Lagos. Reports say he was found drinking from a food flask suspected to be far bigger than the normally allowed size and containing a something that may not be one of the permissible items in a traveling aircraft. An Air hostess complained and wanted to examine the content of the flask. The musician got angry and poured the content of the container on the airline official and other passengers. He caused so much commotion that the rights of other passengers over life became threatened.
Saturday, the 9th of August, 2025 witnessed yet another rights violation, not by government or its officials but by an individual named Ms. Comfort Emmason. She boarded the Ibom Airline flying from Uyo, Akwa Ibom state to Lagos. She was asked to switch off her mobile phone in line with global best practices for passengers on air. She refused and fought with the Air hostess and another passenger who forcefully switched off the phone. On getting to Lagos where the battle was concluded, the lady was overpowered by the Air hostess and other persons that alighted from the plane. In the process, she was stripped and her near-nude video was uploaded onto social media platforms. Even though Comfort’s action amounted to an abuse of the rights of other passengers to life, those who violently undressed her equally acted wrongly by exposing her to public ridicule. She deserved a right to fair hearing before being dealt with like a common criminal.
Yes, cases of abuse of human rights in Nigeria by government are high, but they are higher amongst Nigerians who abuse each other’s rights. We must begin to get things done in the right ways for the expected results in the fight against the abuse of human rights in the country to yield positive results.
On a general note, the right of a citizen ends at the commencement of another’s. It is therefore the responsibility of all to recognize the rights of others for the purposes of avoiding abuse. This is how a sane society is created.
