The Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre, CISLAC, want military security operatives to retreat into their barracks as strategic effort in protecting civilians.
This measure, the CISLAC Executive Director, ED, Mr. Auwal Ibrahim Musa (Rafsanjani) said would reduce brutality being perpetrated on civilians by the army who are sentinel for external aggressions.
Therefore, at the organisation’s recent stock-taking event themed, Media Close-Out On The Precariousness of Protection: Documenting Gains, Strains and Pains From the Protection Of Civilians And Civilian Harms Mitigation In Armed Conflict,” the Executive Director called on President Muhammadu Buhari to withdraw soldiers from the streets and cities.
Musa also highlighted successes recorded in the past, and an elated advocate harped on the status of the protection policy it is championing in the country.
Musa said, “For one year, we have with the Nigerian government to develop a national protection policy that would put civilians at the heart of every civil security operation in Nigeria.
“We feel very satisfied at the progress we have made thus far with the House of Representatives’ Committees on defence and security, as well as members of the Technical Working Group.”
He however enumerated concerns CISLAC with the support from Open Society Initiative for West Africa, OSIWA, still have to address with their works in order to achieve protection for Nigeria citizens.
The organisation is still dissatisfied with the worrisome trend of intimidation of civilians, seizure of properties, indiscriminate shooting, physical assault on young men, sexual exploitation/abuse and rape by security forces personnel on the citizenry in communities within the country.
Speaking on one of its intervention to protect Nigerians particularly women and girls, Mr. Musa said, “We can not officialise sexual harrasment of women.”
He said sexual crimes can be reported through its CISLAC’s Advocacy and Legal Advice Centre, ALAC.
Enumerating further on the role CISLAC is playing in protecting women, the organisation’s Program Officer, Mr. Salaudeen Hashim explained that CISLAC has various programs that are gender sensitive.
“We have gender policy advocacy that are also going on in various security formations.
“Our program include women in various decision making processes because as the ED has said, we believe that we need to empower them.
The media practictioners were also encouraged to prioritise reporting on protection of civilians in their various platforms.
