Safeguarding the Sanctity of the Rule of Law and Human Rights in Counter-Terrorism Measures

Abstract

The fight against terrorism requires the use of force. However the use of disproportionate force
undermines the very essence of human rights and may cause the violation of the rights of innocent
civilians and citizens. The grundnorm, the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999, is
clear on basic rights such as the right not to be subjected to torture and inhumane treatment premised
on the principle of dignity of a person. Additionally, under the adversarial system which is obtainable
in Nigeria, it is trite that everyone suspected of a crime remains innocent, until proven guilty and the
same applies to suspects of terrorism. In this light, this paper discusses the need to safeguard human
rights as well as the challenges of protecting human rights in the fight against terrorism in Nigeria. The
paper among other things highlights the dangers inherent in the use of undue force on a suspect of
terrorism especially when such a person eventually ends up being innocent. The paper equally made
recommendations as to the adoption of preventive measures that address the root causes of terrorism
while safeguarding the rights and dignity of all individuals.