Right groups flay police invitation to Odinkalu

BY ABDULWAHAB ABDULAH

LAGOS—Civil society groups and some Nigerians have condemned the invitation to the Chairman, National Human Rights Commission, NHRC, Dr. Chidi Odinkalu, by the police, arguing that it  was designed to cow the commission and its leadership from carrying out its statutory duties.

Meanwhile, Odinkalu ‘s  counsel, Mr. Bamidele Aturu, in a statement, yesterday, said Odinkalu may not appear before the police, while calling for a total independence of NHRC to carry out its constitutional duties diligently.

Aturu said: “As a law-abiding patriot, Dr. Odinkalu proposes to show leadership, good example and respect to the institution and men and women of NPF by honouring the request by NPF despite the absence of justification for it.”

He said Odinkalu proposed through his encounter with the police “to offer partnership to the leadership of NPF in investigating and methodically addressing the admitted problem of extra-judicial killings in Nigeria with independent facilitation from the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights and the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights and looks forward to working constructively with them on this.”