AFRICA - House Foreign Affairs Committee Democrats

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NIGERIA
Nigeria is a federal republic composed of 36 states and a capital territory, with
an elected president and a bicameral legislature. In May 1999, President Olusegun
Obasanjo of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) was inaugurated to a 4-year term
after winning elections in February 1999 that were marred by fraud and irregularities
perpetrated by all contesting parties. However, most observers agreed the elections
reflected the will of the majority of voters. These elections marked the end of
16 years of military-led regimes. The Constitution provides for an independent judiciary.
Although the judicial branch remained susceptible to executive and legislative
branch pressures, the performance of the Supreme Court and decisions at the federal
appellate level were indicative of growing independence. State and local judiciary
were influenced by political leaders and suffered from corruption and inefficiency
more so than the federal court system.
The Federal Nigeria Police Force (NPF) was tasked with law enforcement. The
Constitution prohibits local and state police forces. Internal security was the duty
of the State Security Service (SSS). ‘‘Rapid Response Teams,’’ staffed by police, remained
intact in most states, but these teams had a reduced role and a less menacing
presence than in previous years. In response to increased incidents of armed
robbery and other violent crime, the National Police instituted an aggressive anticrime
campaign dubbed Operation Fire for Fire, which was responsible for human
rights abuses. The police were unable to control ethno-religious violence on numerous
occasions during the year, and the Government continued its reliance on the
army to quell many instances of communal violence. The degree of government control
over the Rapid Response Teams and the national police force continued to improve
during the course of the year. The police and members of other security forces,
military, and anticrime squads committed serious human rights abuses.
The economy, which had been in decline for much of the last three decades, grew
3.9 percent in real terms in 2001, and most credible estimates project a slight decline
this year. Inadequate infrastructure, endemic corruption, and general economic
mismanagement hindered economic growth. Most of the population of approximately
120 million was rural and engaged in small-scale agriculture. The agricultural sector
employed more than 65 percent of the population, but accounted for only 42 percent
of gross domestic product (GDP). The agricultural sector deteriorated considerably
during the oil boom decades and years of military rule, which contributed significantly
to the country’s urbanization and increased unemployment. The majority
of economic activity was outside the formal sector. Much of the country’s wealth remained
concentrated in the hands of a small elite. Corruption, nontransparent government
contracting practices, and other systems favored the wealthy and politically
influential, including a banking system that impeded small and medium investors
and regulatory and tax regimes that were not always enforced impartially. Infrastructure
remained a problem and negatively affected the economy. A significant
percentage of the country’s population lived in poverty and were subject to malnutrition
and disease.
The Government’s human rights record remained poor; although there were improvements
in several areas, serious problems remained. The national police, military,
and security forces committed extrajudicial killings and used excessive force
to apprehend criminal suspects and to quell several incidents of ethno-religious violence.
Police, military, and security forces sometimes beat protesters, criminal suspects,
detainees, and convicted prisoners. The Government continued steps to curb
torture and beatings of detainees and prisoners. In most cases, neither the state
anticrime taskforces, the police, nor the military were held accountable for excessive
force or the death of persons in custody. Shari’a courts sentenced persons to harsh
punishments including amputations and death by stoning; however, no amputation
or stoning sentences were carried out during the year. Prison conditions were harsh
and life threatening, and the lack of sufficient food and adequate medical treatment
contributed to the death of numerous inmates. Police and security forces continued
to use arbitrary arrest and detention. Prolonged pretrial detention remained a serious
problem. The judicial system often was incapable of providing criminal suspects
with speedy and fair trials. Government authorities occasionally infringed on citizen’s
privacy rights. The Government generally respected freedom of speech and of
the press; however, there were problems in some areas. The Government placed
some limits on freedom of assembly and association, citing security concerns. There
were governmental restrictions placed on freedom of religion. The Government occasionally
restricted freedom of movement for security reasons in areas of unrest and
used lethal force at checkpoints. The Human Rights Violations Investigation Panel
(HRVIP) concluded its public hearings and in 2001 presented its findings and recommendations
to the President, but the report has not been made public. In March
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