Friday, November 13, 2026 - The Federal Government has called on India to ensure the welfare, dignity and protection of the fundamental human rights of Nigerians held in custodial centres across the country.
The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Amb Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu,
appealed during a meeting with a joint high-level delegation of the National
Human Rights Commissions of Nigeria and India at the Ministry of Foreign
Affairs in Abuja.
According to a press statement issued on Thursday and signed
by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Spokesperson, Oluwafemi Adeniyi, the
minister expressed concern over the treatment of Nigerians serving in custodial
centres in India and called for appropriate attention to their welfare and
human rights.
She said, “The MoU on Cooperation between the NHRCs is a
timely initiative for the translation of the longstanding Nigeria-India
relations into practical institutional cooperation on the promotion of human
rights.
“There is a need to strengthen access to justice, improve
complaint-handling mechanisms and protect the rights of persons in vulnerable
circumstances, ensuring equitable access to essential support and services for
them.
“Nigeria and India have an opportunity to contribute
constructively to a more inclusive international human rights architecture, as
members of the Global South.
“I call on the Indian government to ensure the humane and
proper treatment of Nigerian citizens serving in custodial centres in the
country, and that they receive appropriate attention to their welfare, dignity
and fundamental human rights.”
Odumegwu-Ojukwu added that the protection of vulnerable
persons and access to justice should remain central to the growing human rights
cooperation between both countries.
The minister’s appeal comes as Nigeria and India
strengthened their human rights partnership through the signing of a Memorandum
of Understanding between their respective National Human Rights Commissions.
The agreement is expected to promote institutional
cooperation, technical exchanges and the sharing of best practices in human
rights protection.
The minister described the agreement as a timely initiative
for translating the longstanding relations between Nigeria and India into
practical institutional cooperation.
She emphasised the need to strengthen access to justice,
improve complaint-handling mechanisms and protect people in vulnerable
circumstances, ensuring equitable access to essential support and services.
According to her, Nigeria and India have an opportunity to
contribute constructively to a more inclusive international human rights
architecture as members of the Global South.
She expressed Nigeria’s readiness to deepen engagement with
India and other international partners in advancing human rights diplomacy and
strengthening national and international human rights institutions.
The minister also expressed appreciation to United Nations
member states for supporting Nigeria’s election to the Human Rights Council for
the 2027–2028 term.
She reaffirmed Nigeria’s commitment to fulfilling its
obligations under the United Nations Charter and the Universal Declaration of
Human Rights, guided by the principles of objectivity, non-selectivity and
constructive international engagement.
Earlier, the Executive Secretary of Nigeria’s National Human
Rights Commission, Chief Anthony Ojukwu, described the MoU as an important
framework for strengthening institutional cooperation and technical exchanges
between the two countries.
He said the partnership would focus on improving
complaint-management mechanisms, strengthening human rights compliance in
security sector governance and promoting joint research on international law,
human rights implementation and emerging issues.
Ojukwu also stressed the importance of collaboration with
the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in integrating international human rights
standards into Nigeria’s treaty obligations and diplomatic frameworks.
In his remarks, the Chairperson of India’s National Human
Rights Commission, Justice V. Ramasubramanian, highlighted the longstanding
historical and diplomatic relations between both countries.
He noted that Nigeria and India shared similarities in
population size, ethnic and religious diversity, cultural heritage and
democratic aspirations.
Ramasubramanian described the MoU as an important step
towards facilitating practical cooperation, institutional learning and capacity
development through the exchange of experiences and best practices between the
two human rights institutions.
The delegation was jointly led by Ojukwu and Ramasubramanian
during the courtesy visit to the minister.
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