Nigeria: Civil Liberties Organisation (CLO), its leadership, activities, goals and objectives, treatment of its members by the authorities
| Publisher | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada |
| Author | Research Directorate, Immigration and Refugee Board, Canada |
| Publication Date | 1 April 1998 |
| Citation / Document Symbol | NGA29218.E |
| Cite as | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, Nigeria: Civil Liberties Organisation (CLO), its leadership, activities, goals and objectives, treatment of its members by the authorities, 1 April 1998, NGA29218.E, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/3ae6aba768.html [accessed 17 September 2023] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
For information on the goals and objectives of the CLO please refer to the attached page of the April-June 1995 issue of Liberty, the quarterly journal of the CLO, which also provides a list of CLO leaders and staff members for 1995. The attached excerpts from the 1989 CLO Report on Human Rights in Nigeria provides the same information for the year 1989.
According to the Amnesty International Report 1997, Abdul Oroh, Executive Director of the Civil Liberties Organisation, was released from prison in June 1997 after being detained "without charge or trial since August 1995." (247).
A 6 March 1998 International Press Service (IPS) report states that former CLO president Olisa Agbakoba wanted to bring the High Court of Nigeria to declare that "the alleged beating of him by the police [...] amount to a violation of his rights as guaranteed by the Nigerian constitution and the African Charter on Human and Peoples' Rights."
A 15 January 1998 IPS report states that the New York-based advocacy group Human Rights Watch (HRW) had sent a letter of protest to President Abacha of Nigeria calling for the release from prison of Ogoga Ifowodo, a staff member of the CLO.
This Response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the Research Directorate within time constraints. This Response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim to refugee status or asylum.
References
Amnesty International. 1997. Amnesty International Report 1997. New York: Amnesty International USA.
International Press Service (IPS). 6 March 1998. Remi Oyo. "Politics(Nigeria: Human Rights Groups Take Government to Court." (NEXIS)
_____. 15 January 1998. Danielle Knight. "Rights(Nigeria: New Accusations of Arrest and Torture." (NEXIS)
Attachments
Civil Liberties Organisation (CLO). 1989. Report on Human Rights In Nigeria. Lagos: Civil Liberties Organisation. CLO statement and staff listing.
Liberty [Lagos]. April-June 1995. CLO statement and staff listing, p. 5.