This record is a partial extract of the original cable. The full text of the original cable is not available.

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 29 ABUJA 000462 
 
SIPDIS 
 
 
SENSITIVE 
 
 
AF/W FOR PARK 
DRL FOR TOMLYANOVICH 
 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PHUM PGOV PREL ELAB NI
SUBJECT: NIGERIA: POST'S RESPONSE TO V1 OF NIGERIAN HRR 
 
REF: A. A) STATE 15375 
     ¶B. B) KAPLAN/PARK EMAIL 7FEB02 
 
 
¶1. (U) SENSITIVE BUT UNCLASSIFIED - ENTIRE TEXT. 
 
 
¶2. (U)  The following includes the full text of the V-1 human 
rights report as amended by Post.  We know and did not ignore 
 reftel request that post only send the text of responses 
keyed to the questions/comments contained in the V-1.  We 
have answered these questions to the best of our ability and 
resources. However, due to the number of questions and 
because of the additional significant edits and changes to 
the V-1 text that were required to ensure its accuracy, it is 
necessary to send the entire text.  To assist Washington in 
following the changes that post has made, we have also 
emailed a "tracked" version of the document. 
 
 
¶3. (SBU) Begin Text of Report. 
 
 
Nigeria is a federal republic composed of 36 states and a 
capital territory, with an elected president and a bicameral 
legislature.  On May 29, 1999, President Olusegun Obasanjo of 
the Peoples Democratic Party 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; 
however, in practice the judicial branch remains susceptible 
to executive and legislative branch pressure, is influenced 
by political leaders at both the state and federal levels, 
and suffers from corruption and inefficiency. 
 
 
The Federal Nigeria Police Force (NPF) is tasked with law 
enforcement.  The Constitution prohibits local and state 
police forces.  Internal security is the duty of the State 
Security Service (SSS).  "Rapid Response Teams" remained 
intact in most states.  Staffed by police, these teams had a 
reduced role and a less menacing presence than in previous 
years.  Due to the inability of the police to stem severe 
communal violence on repeated occasions, The Government's 
reliance on the army to quell internal disorder increased 
during the year. Members of the security forces, including 
the police, anticrime squads, and the armed forces committed 
serious human rights abuses. 
 
 
The economy, which had been in decline for much of the last 
three decades, recorded modest growth of 3.8 percent during 
¶2001.  Further economic growth has been impeded by the 
long-standing problems of a dilapidated infrastructure, 
corruption and general economic mismanagement.   Most of the 
population of approximately 120 million was rural and engaged 
in small-scale agriculture.  The agricultural sector employed 
over 65 percent of the work force but accounted for only 36 
percent of gross domestic product. The agriculture and 
manufacturing sectors deteriorated considerably during the 
oil boom decades and years of military rule.  The collapse of 
market agriculture contributed significantly to the country's 
urbanization and increased unemployment.  Recorded gross 
domestic product was $285 (N31,426) but the great bulk of 
economic activity is outside the formal sector. Due to 
corruption, nontransparent government contracting practices 
and structural inadequacies, much of the nation's wealth 
continued to be concentrated in the hands of a small elite. 
During the year, petroleum accounted for over 98 percent of 
the country's export revenues, most of the government's 
revenues, and almost all foreign investment. The country's 
ports and roads are in disrepair while water and power 
infrastructures are inadequate to meet demand.  However, the 
Federal Government and various states have begun improving 
infrastructure with some success, such as the privatization 
of NITEL, the auction of two GSM licenses to private 
operators, the rehabilitation of power plants and the move 
towards buy-operate-transfer contracts and independent power 
projects (IPPs). 
 
 
Chronic fuel shortages, which afflicted the country for 
several years, have been mostly alleviated by the improved 
operation of domestic refineries and the recent move toward 
price deregulation. Food production improved during the year 
due in part to record rainfalls; however, poor transportation 
infrastructure and road closures resulting from an increase 
in inter-communal violence caused much agricultural produce 
to be lost. During 2001, the Government made progress in 
reducing controls on the private sector and increased 
expenditures for key social sectors.  The Government moved to 
deregulate the downstream oil sector, reduced its role in 
private banking institutions, eliminated the 
telecommunications monopoly, and deregulated the domestic 
aviation industry.  Also, Government budget allocations to 
education increased by 13 percent and 6 percent for recurrent 
and capital expenditures respectively.   Allocations for 
health increased by 58 percent and 178 percent for recurrent 
and capital expenditures respectively. Nevertheless, a 
significant percentage of the country's population lived in 
poverty and many Nigerians were subject to malnutrition. 
 
 
The Government's human rights record was mixed; although in 
marked improvement over the record of the preceding military 
regimes, there were serious problems and abuses. Civil 
liberties were mostly respected and the everyday behavior of 
security forces was better than under preceding military 
regimes.  However, there were many instances of civilian 
instigated communal violence during the year. The military 
was called on to restore order in several major incidents of 
civil unrest or conflict-- such as Jos, Tafawa Balewa, Kano, 
Warri and in the Tiv-Jukun conflict in Benue, Nasarawa and 
Taraba states -- and in many other occurrences of communal 
violence of lesser magnitude. While deployment of security 
forces may have contained the violence and saved lives in 
many of these instances, the national police, army, and 
security forces committed extrajudicial killings and often 
used excessive force in quelling these episodes of civil 
unrest and violence.  In the year's most egregious case, army 
soldiers reportedly killed approximately 200 unarmed 
civilians and destroyed much of the town of Zaki Biam in 
Benue State in apparent retaliation for the killing of 19 
soldiers. Army, police, and security force officers regularly 
beat protesters, criminal suspects, detainees, and convicted 
prisoners; however, there were no reports of torture of 
political dissidents. The Government continued to take steps 
to curb torture and beating of detainees and prisoners 
Shari'a courts sentenced persons to harsh punishments 
including amputations and death by stoning.  Two amputation 
sentences were carried out during the year. In September, two 
persons, Mohammed Wada and Adamu Idi, were found guilty of 
theft and sentenced to amputation by a Shari'a court in 
Katagum, Bauchi State, but the sentences were not carried 
out. No sentences for stoning were implemented. Prison 
conditions were harsh and life threatening, and along with 
the lack of food and medical treatment, contributed to the 
death of numerous inmates.  At different times in the year, 
the Government released several hundred prisoners in an 
attempt to ease prison congestion.  In May 1999, the 
Government repealed the State Security (Detention of Persons) 
Decree of 1984 (Decree 2), which allowed arbitrary detention 
without charge; however, police and security forces continued 
to use arbitrary arrest and detention.  Prolonged pretrial 
detention remains a major problem. The judiciary is subject 
to political influence, and is hampered by corruption and 
inefficiency.  The judicial system often was incapable of 
providing a criminal suspect a speedy, fair trial.  With some 
exceptions, the Government respected freedom of speech and of 
the press. The Government continued to relax its restrictions 
on the rights of freedom of association and assembly.  The 
Government occasionally restricted freedom of movement, 
particularly during periods and in areas of unrest.  Some 
state governments, restricted freedom of religion in certain 
respects.  Expansion of Shari'a raised tensions in several 
communities and resulted in violence in some instances.  In 
1999 the Government established the Human Rights Violations 
Investigation Panel (HRVIP), to review cases of human rights 
violations since 1966; public hearings before the panel in 
Abuja, Lagos, Kano, and Port Harcourt occurred during the 
year and the Panel's report is due in early 2002. 
 
 
Domestic violence against women remained widespread and some 
forms were sanctioned by traditional, customary, or Shari'a 
law.  Discrimination against women remained a problem. 
Female genital mutilation (FGM) remained widely practiced, 
and child abuse and child prostitution were common. 
Localized discrimination and violence against religious 
minorities persisted. Ethnic and regional discrimination 
remained widespread and interethnic, religious, and regional 
tensions increased significantly. Thousands of persons were 
killed in various local communal conflicts throughout the 
country.   In June and July, more than 200 people were killed 
in inter-communal clashes in Nasarawa State over access to 
land.  In September, several hundred people, mostly Muslims, 
were killed in Jos.  Also in October, fighting in Kano state 
resulted in the deaths of approximately 100 persons initially 
sparked by local street thugs, the unrest in Kano later took 
on ethnic and religious overtones. Some members of the Ijaw 
ethnic group in the oil-producing Niger Delta region who seek 
greater local autonomy continued to commit serious abuses, 
including killings and kidnappings.  During the year, the 
Government took steps to improve worker rights; however, some 
restrictions continued.  Some persons, including children, 
were subjected to forced labor.  Overall, child labor 
continued to increase.  Trafficking in persons for purposes 
of forced prostitution and forced labor was a problem and 
allegations of government officials' involvement were 
widespread.  Vigilante violence increased throughout the 
country, particularly in Lagos and Onitsha, where suspected 
criminals were apprehended, beaten, and sometimes killed. 
 
 
During 2001, the Federal Government inaugurated the National 
Action Plan for Human Rights Steering Committee (including 
Ministers of Justice, Foreign Affairs, Internal Affairs, 
Women and Youth Development, Labor, and Senate and House 
Chairmen of the National Assembly Human Rights Committees) 
and Coordinating Committee.  As part of the National Action 
Plan, the Committees will assess and report on human rights 
in Nigeria, and make and implement recommendations to improve 
human rights. 
Respect for Human Rights 
Section 1  Respect for the Integrity of the Person, Including 
              Freedom From 
 
 
a. Arbitrary or Unlawful Deprivation of Life 
 
 
The Government did not use deadly force to repress 
nonviolent, purely political activities; however, lethal 
force was used when protests or demonstrations were perceived 
as becoming violent or disruptive, or in the apprehension and 
detention of suspected criminals.  As a result, national 
police, army, and security forces committed extrajudicial 
killings and used excessive force to quell civil unrest in 
several incidents during the year. State anticrime task 
forces remained the most frequents human rights offenders. 
However in most cases where abuses were committed, neither 
the state anticrime task forces, the police, nor the armed 
forces were held accountable for excessive, deadly use of 
force or the death of individuals in custody.  They operated 
with impunity in the apprehension, illegal detention, and 
sometimes execution of criminal suspects. Since taking 
office, President Obasanjo has preferred to let the police 
deal with civil disturbances, sending in military 
reinforcements only when the police were unable to restore 
order.  The Government deployed the army numerous times 
during the year to restore order after civil unrest. While 
the army proved capable of restoring order, it was ill 
trained to handle civil unrest and other related police work. 
Due in part to this lack of training,  the military committed 
numerous abuses while performing this role.  Multinational 
oil companies and Nigerian oil producing companies 
subcontract police and soldiers from area units particularly 
to protect the oil facilities in the volatile Niger Delta 
region.  Freelance security forces and former security forces 
accounted for a significant portion of the violent crime 
during the year. 
 
 
The police, military, and anticrime taskforce personnel 
committed numerous extrajudicial killings in the apprehension 
and detention of suspected criminals.  Police used deadly 
force against suspected vandals near oil pipelines in the 
Niger Delta Region, against the Oodua Peoples Congress (OPC) 
vigilante group in Lagos State and, allegedly, against 
participants in the Jos and Kano riots that took place in 
September and October, respectively. 
 
 
In February police reportedly killed 10 persons and destroyed 
the headquarters of the Movement for the Actualization of the 
Sovereign State of Biafra (MASSOB) in Okigwe; several MASSOB 
leaders, including Ralph Uwazuruike, were arrested (see 
Section 1.d.). 
 
 
 Also in February, outside the main mosque in Gombe state, 
police killed several persons while dispersing Muslim 
protesters who reportedly were attacking and damaging 
buildings, such as the police barracks.  There were 
unconfirmed reports that police reportedly shot and killed 22 
detainees who attempted to escape from Jos prison during the 
September disturbances in Jos. 
 
 
 In December, police and members of a militant Islamic group 
clashed when the police attempted to stop the group from 
holding a march in Kano.  Several members of the group were 
killed during the confrontation. 
 
 
There were only a few instances where policemen were held to 
account for their abuses.  For example, three policemen in 
Kogi state were sentenced to death in April by hanging after 
being found guilty of theft and murder.  The policemen were 
accused of stopping a car, killing five persons, and stealing 
the passengers' money.  The sentence had not been carried out 
by year's end. 
 
 
During the year, ethnic and religious tensions increased in 
parts of Nigeria.  The Government often called on the 
military when the tension turned violent. The Government 
deployed the army in Jos in Plateau State to quell a major 
outburst of  ethno-religious violence  that claimed 
approximately 2300 lives before it was ended, in large part 
due to the presence of  the military.  By October, army 
troops were maintaining order in Kaduna, Jos, Tafawa Balewa, 
Kano, and a significant part of eastern Benue, eastern 
Nasarawa and western Taraba states. There were credible 
reports that in some of these deployments, soldiers used 
excessive lethal force while attempting to end the unrest. 
The number of total casualties resulting from the use of 
excessive force by security forces is unknown but most 
sources believe that far fewer lives were lost in suppressing 
the violent outbreaks than were lost during the outbreaks 
themselves. 
However, on October 22 and 23, evidence strongly indicates 
army soldiers killed approximately 200 ethnic Tiv civilians 
and ransacked the town of Zaki Biam In Benue State in 
retaliation for the slaying of 19 soldiers allegedly by 
members of the ethnic Tiv militia. Reportedly, tens of 
thousands fled the area as a result of the violence, adding 
to the number of internally displaced people in that region 
of the country. The Government announced the establishment of 
a commission of inquiry to investigate the killings, but by 
year's end the commission had not been inaugurated.   Also in 
October, several hours after the conclusion of a peaceful 
demonstration against U.S. military action in Afghanistan, 
rioting broke out in the largest marketplace in the city of 
Kano. While sparked by street thugs initially, the violence 
later took on religious and ethnic overtones; 100 persons 
were killed and dozens of shops and cars were damaged. 
Finally the army was called out to restore order. Some 
citizens alleged that the army and police used excessive and 
lethal force and that several deaths came at the hands of the 
security forces. In November police reportedly charged more 
than 200 persons in connections with the clashes. 
 
 
According to Human Rights Watch, soldiers, naval personnel, 
and paramilitary Mobile Police deployed in the oil and gas 
regions of the Niger Delta carry out assaults and other 
abuses on an ongoing basis (see Section 5). According to 
Human Rights Watch, the police shot on sight suspected armed 
robbers, alleged members of ethnic militia, and youths in the 
Niger Delta Region accused of stealing oil and vandalizing 
facilities. 
 
 
Confrontations between increasingly militant "youths" (who 
tend to be unemployed males between the ages of 16 and 40), 
oil companies, and government authorities continued during 
the year.  In June in the Khana local government area, mobile 
police shot and killed an allegedly unarmed Ogoni man.  In 
July a police officer protecting oil contractors in Bayelsa 
State killed a local youth, reportedly after the youth tried 
to disarm him. 
 
 
Violence and lethal force at police roadblocks and 
checkpoints decreased during the year; however, some 
instances of such violence continued.  In August, the 
Abakaliki police (headquarters for Ebonyi State), killed four 
members of the People's Democratic Party (PDP) at a 
checkpoint.  The victims included the chairman of the Ishielu 
Local Government, Onyebuhi Eche, Ifeanyi Nnanji, Gbonna 
Odembaigwe and Uche Frank.  During the year, an upsurge in 
violent crime in Lagos led to an increase in the number of 
roadblocks and checkpoints at major intersections, without an 
increase in police misconduct or violence (see Section 2.d.) 
 
 
Harsh and life threatening prison conditions and denial of 
proper medical treatment contributed to the death of numerous 
inmates (see Section 1.c.)  Criminal suspects died from 
unnatural causes while in official custody, usually as the 
result of neglect and harsh treatment.  There were reports 
that police killed persons suspected of belonging to the 
Oodua Peoples Congress (OPC) if they found ceremonial cuts or 
marking on the detainees' backs. 
 
 
There were no reports of any investigation or action taken 
against the police in Lagos, who reportedly killed 509 
suspected armed robbers and injured 113 robbery suspects, 
during the course of making 3,166 arrests; not all of those 
killed were OPC members. 
 
 
There were no developments in the May 2000 alleged killing by 
security forces of a young woman who obstructed the motorcade 
of Lagos Deputy Governor. 
 
 
No action was taken against the members of the security 
forces responsible for killing the persons in the following 
cases from 2000: The August killing of a Nnamdi Azikiwe 
University student; the July killing of 1 person when a 
demonstration was dispersed forcibly; the July killing of 1 
person when a strike was dispersed forcibly; the June 
killings of 2 persons in Abuja; the June killings of five 
persons for suspected vandalism; April and March killings of 
28 Delta youths near oil flow stations. 
 
 
The Human Rights Violations Investigation Panel (HRVIP), also 
known as the Oputa Panel, continued hearings during the year 
into 150 cases of killings by members of the security forces 
(see Section 4.)  The Panel's report is expected to be 
released early in 2002. In 2000 the Civil Liberties 
Organization (CLO) (a credible human rights organization) 
filed a petition with the National Human Rights Commission 
and the Oputa Panel concerning the 1999 death in detention of 
Godfrey Opuoru.  Sunday Aghedo, the Lagos state police 
commissioner under whose command the death occurred, was 
replaced by Mike Okiro in 1999.  Despite an order from the 
Oputa Panel to the police to reinvestigate the case, there 
was no evidence they had done so by year's end. 
The Government did not address the 1999 leveling of Odi in 
Bayelsa State by federal troops.  The Government did not hold 
accountable any of the officers or soldiers involved in the 
destruction of the town and the killing of several hundred 
inhabitants; there were newspaper reports that some of the 
soldiers were promoted.  Trials against Keniwer Imo Neweigha, 
Monday Diongoli, Timi Epengele, Onoriode David, Ebi Clifford 
Saibu, Derioteidou Aganaba, Timinepre Keren, Joshua 
Godspower, John Zitua, and Benson Odiowei for the alleged 
murders of 12 policemen and 6 civilians that sparked the Odi 
incident, were ongoing at year's end.  When the prosecution 
could not produce Odiowei for trial in 2000, the case was 
postponed to a later date. 
 
 
The prosecution of Hamza al-Mustapha, Mohammed Abacha, 
Mohammed Rabo Lawal, Lateef Shofalan, Mohammed Aminu and 
Sergeant Rogers Mshiella for the 1996 murder of Kudirat 
Abiola, a prominent democracy activist and the wife of 
Moshood Abiola, was adjourned repeatedly during the year; 
defense lawyers for each individual had filed numerous 
motions for adjournment in the Lagos High Court. 
 
 
In 1999 the trial against former Army Chief of Staff Ishaya 
Bamaiyi for the attempted murder in 1996 of Guardian 
newspaper publisher Alex Ibru began.  Hamza al-Mustapha, 
former Lagos Police Commissioner James Danbaba, and Colonel 
Jubrin Bala Yakubu, also were charged in the attempt on Ibru 
but their trials were pending at year's end.  All of the 
defendants were being held at Kiri Kiri maximum-security 
prison at year's end. 
 
 
On August 19, unknown assailants shot and killed Rivers State 
Assemblyman Monday Ndor outside his residence. 
 
 
In December Osun State Lawmaker Odunayo Olagbaju was killed 
in political violence. 
 
 
On December 23 in Ibadan, Justice Minister Bola Ige was 
killed in his home in what most believed as a politically 
motivated assassination.  By year's end, police reportedly 
detained a 27-year-old man who confessed to being a member of 
an eight-man gang that shot Ige in exchange for $8,960 (1 
million naira).  The suspect's mental state has been 
questioned and he was released. There has been widespread 
speculation that Ige and others were killed in connection 
with the political dispute between the Osun State Governor, 
Bisi Akanda, and Osun State Deputy Governor, Iyiola Omisore. 
 
 
In Anambra State, the state government supported and paid the 
vigilante group known as the Bakassi Boys. Like most 
vigilante groups, the Bakassi Boys killed suspected criminals 
rather than turn them over to police; however, in some cases, 
the Bakassi Boys have chosen to mutilate alleged criminals, 
rather than killing them outright. They also were accused of 
harassing and threatening political opponents of the state 
government.  On May 29, the Bakassi Boys tortured and killed 
between 25 and 36 suspected criminals in Onitsha.  They 
reportedly stabbed them with machetes and knives as 
bystanders cheered; the victims' bodies were then set on 
fire. In July members of the Bakassi Boys hacked to death 
four suspected armed robbers in Imo state. 
 
 
There also were numerous reports of street mobs apprehending 
and killing suspected criminals.  The practice of 
"necklacing" criminals (placing a gasoline-soaked tire around 
a victim's neck or torso and then igniting it, burning the 
victim to death) caught in the act occurred in several 
cities. 
 
 
In early April in Osun State, mobs lynched approximately 12 
persons accused of making genital organs disappear.  In one 
incident on April 6, a resident reportedly announced that his 
penis had disappeared while members of an Evangelical 
Christian group were preaching door-to-door; an angry mob 
descended on the evangelists and burned eight of them to 
death. 
 
 
On October 4, 4 persons were killed and 19 were injured 
critically during violent clashes between supporters of the 
All People's Party (APP) and People's Democratic Party (PDP) 
in Gusau, Zamfara State. 
 
 
In addition to the incidences of ethno-religious violence in 
Jos, Kano and Benue, Nasarawa and Taraba States, there were 
other incidents were citizens lost their lives due in 
communal fighting. On November 3 and 4, at least 10 persons 
reportedly were killed in Gwantu, Kaduna state.  In this 
instance, the formal institution of a modified form of 
criminal shari'a law in Kaduna State added to the tension 
long present in a feud between two rival local leaders that 
was the primary spark of the unrest. 
 
 
In Taraba State a dispute between Fulani herders and Tiv 
farmers reportedly resulted in eight deaths.  In December, 
competition over land use between ethnic Hausa-Fulani herders 
and ethnic Birom farmers turned violent and resulted in at 
least 30 and perhaps as many as 90 deaths, mainly 
Hausa-Fulani. 
 
 
Communal violence in the Niger Delta decreased during the 
year, but ethnic rivalries and disputes between local 
communities over resources still led to deadly clashes.  In 
July fighting between the Akaeze and Osso Edda communities in 
Ebonyi State resulted in the deaths of 27 persons. 
 
 
In the Kalabari region of Rivers State, between 20 and 100 
persons were killed in fighting among three Ijaw communities: 
the  Bille and Krakrama. 
 
 
In the east, violent border disputes between Cross River and 
Akwa Ibom states continued during the year. 
 
 
In Lagos State, the vigilante group known as the OPC clashed 
repeatedly with the police over their protection of Yoruba 
neighborhoods and over political issues. The OPC continued to 
function as a vigilante anti-crime force despite President 
Obasanjo's "shoot-on-sight" order issued against them in 
¶1999.  During the year, there were fewer OPC vigilante 
killings than in previous years, but OPC-related violence did 
occur. On August 16, the OPC reportedly beheaded four 
suspected robbers and set their bodies on fire in Lagos 
state.  The OPC also reportedly crucified a man in the 
Surelere district of Lagos 
 
 
In August Ganiyu Adams, a leader of the OPC, was arrested and 
charged in Lagos state with murder and robbery; Adams had 
been wanted by the police since 1999 riots sparked by the 
OPC.  In September, the OPC announced that it would stop its 
vigilante activities. In October, Adams again was arrested 
and charged with murder, stealing, robbery, and illegal 
possession of firearms; on October 30, he was released on $85 
(20,000 naira) bail. 
 
 
During the year, members of student organizations, commonly 
known as cults, occasionally killed students from rival 
organizations. 
 
 
Killings carried out by organized gangs of armed robbers 
remained commonplace throughout the year.  A gang of at least 
30 armed robbers reportedly killed 22 residents in the town 
of Awkuzu on July 28, allegedly in retaliation for the 
executions of suspected criminals by the Bakassi Boys earlier 
in the year. 
 
 
 
 
b. Disappearance 
 
 
There were no reports of politically motivated disappearances 
during the year; however, in 2000 the OPC charged that the 
police were responsible for the disappearance of at least two 
of its members. 
 
 
Members of minority ethnic groups in the oil-producing areas 
kidnapped foreign and local oil company employees to press 
their demands for more redistribution of wealth generated by 
joint ventures with the state-controlled petroleum 
corporation and for specific projects in their areas. In all 
instances the victims were released unharmed after 
negotiations between the captors and the oil firms; the firms 
usually paid ransoms and promised improved conditions. 
 
 
In addition to the political rationale for kidnapping, there 
were numerous instances of strictly criminal kidnapping, in 
which the perpetrators' sole objective was ransom for the 
release of the victims.  During the year, there were a 
greater number of kidnappings by criminals to extort money 
than for "political" reasons.  Some kidnappings, particularly 
in the Delta, appear to have been part of longstanding ethnic 
disputes over resources. Due to limited manpower and 
resources, the police and armed forces rarely were able to 
confront the perpetrators of these acts, especially in the 
volatile Delta region.  A lack of resources prevented 
judicial investigations from taking place so that kidnappings 
routinely were left uninvestigated. 
 
 
c. Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman, or Degrading Treatment 
   or Punishment 
 
 
The Constitution prohibits such abuses, and the law provides 
for punishment for such abuses; however, during the year, 
army, police, and security force officers regularly beat 
protesters, criminal suspects, detainees, and convicted 
prisoners. Police regularly physically mistreated civilians 
in attempts to extort money from them. The law prohibits the 
introduction into trials of evidence obtained through torture. 
 
 
Different versions of criminal Islamic Shari'a law were in 
place in 12 northern states by year's end (see Section 1.e.). 
 Shari'a courts delivered "hadd" sentences such as amputation 
for theft, caning for fornication and public drunkenness, and 
death by stoning.  Appellate courts have yet to decide 
whether any of these punishments constituted "torture or... 
inhuman or degrading treatment" as stipulated in the 
Constitution.  Caning as a punishment under Nigerian common 
law, the Northern Nigerian Penal Code, and Shari'a law has 
not been challenged successfully in the court system prior to 
the introduction of Shari'a law as a violation of the cruel 
and inhuman punishment clause in the Constitution.  Stoning 
and amputation also have not been challenged under the 
Constitution.  There were two amputations carried out during 
the year despite a larger number of sentences.  Shari'a 
courts handed down their first death sentences during the 
year.  As with the common law criminal courts, indigent 
persons without legal representation were more likely to have 
their sentences carried out immediately upon being sentenced 
(there is a period of appeal granted to all accused). The 
Federal Government has instituted a panel of legal scholars 
to draft a uniform Shari'a criminal statute  to replace 
divergent Shari'a statutes adopted by the states. 
 
 
In September an Islamic court in Kebbi state sentenced a man 
to be stoned to death for sodomizing a 7-year-old boy (see 
Section 5).  The sentence has not been carried out and he is 
still in custody. 
 
 
On May 3, Lawal Isa had his right hand amputated in Zamfara 
for stealing three bicycles.  On July 6, the right hand of 
Umaru Aliyu was amputated in Sokoto for the theft of a goat. 
In July a Shari'a court in Kebbi state sentenced a 
15-year-old boy to amputation of one of his hands for 
stealing $286 (32,000 naira) from a businessman. In August a 
Shari'a court in Zamfara state sentenced Amina Abdullahi to 
100 lashes for having an extramarital affair. 
 
 
Bariya Ibrahim Magazu, a 17-year-old girl, was given 100 cane 
strokes in January, following her September 2000 conviction 
of fornication and slander.  She also was sentenced to an 
additional 80 lashes for naming in court but not being able 
to prove paternity of the child; however, the additional 80 
lashes were not administered.  Prior to the execution of the 
sentence, Baobab, a Nigerian human rights NGO, filed an 
appeal on her behalf. 
 
 
In Sokoto, Safiya Husseini was convicted of adultery in 
September by a local Shari'a court which found her pregnancy 
to be conclusive proof of adultery.  She was not married at 
the time of her pregnancy.  Husseini was sentenced to death 
by stoning, but the sentence was not executed by year's end 
and has been stayed pending the appeal she filed challenging 
the legal basis for the decision under Islamic law.  Two 
domestic human rights organizations condemned the death 
sentence, and an international NGO asked President Obasanjo 
to intercede in the matter. 
 
 
Shari'a criminal law does not provide for amputation as the 
punishment for persons convicted of misappropriating public 
funds.  Rather, the faithful are called upon to ostracize 
persons so convicted. 
Hamza Al Mustapha, Muhammed Rabo Lawal, Lateef Shofolahan, 
Mohammed Aminu, Col. Yakubu, Ishaya Bamaiyi, James Danbaba 
and Rogers Mshiella were detained and charged with the 1996 
attempted murder of Guardian newspaper publisher Alex Ibru; 
however, the case was postponed during most of 2001 after 
Bamaiyi and Mustapha were summoned to appear before the 
HRVIP. 
 
 
No action was taken against army personnel responsible for 
rapes and other abuses in Delta, Bayelsa and Rivers states as 
reported in 1999. 
 
 
After the November 1999 release of Jerry Needam, Editor of 
the Ogoni Star newspaper, the Government representatives 
failed to appear in court for any hearings relating to his 
case.  Police reportedly beat Needam, forced him to sign a 
confession, and did not allow him access to medical treatment 
during his detention in 1999. 
 
 
In a few instances during the year, Security forces beat and 
detained journalists who made unfavorable news reports.  (see 
Section 2.a.). 
 
 
In the numerous ethnic clashes that occurred throughout the 
year (see Sections 1.a. and 5), thousands of persons were 
beaten or injured severely.  Police and security forces, 
failing to respond to these and most other criminal acts in a 
timely manner, were slow to protect civilians caught in 
unrest in Plateau, Kaduna, Kano, Benue states and in other 
areas of Nigeria. Generally, the police lacked the resources 
and training to control criminals and mobs that fomented 
civil unrest. (see Sections 1.a. and 1.b.) 
 
 
On January 1, an Islamic vigilante group known as Hisbah 
reportedly caned in public a Christian trader 80 times after 
he was found with a bottle of gin. 
 
 
The HRVIP or the Oputa Panel heard several cases during the 
year (see Sections 1.a. and 4). 
 
 
On January 26, seven women of the Ogoni ethnic minority 
appeared before the HRVIP and accused soldiers of the Rivers 
State Internal Security of raping them in 1993 and 1994. 
 
 
In February Ohaneze Ndigbo, an Igbo cultural organization, 
asked the HRVIP to investigate atrocities, including pogroms, 
genocide, mistreatment of refugees and war prisoners, and 
bombing of civilian targets, allegedly committed against 
Igbos between 1966 and 1970. 
 
 
Prison and detention conditions remained harsh and life 
threatening.  Most prisons were built 70 to 80 years ago and 
lack functioning basic facilities.  Lack of potable water, 
inadequate sewage facilities, and severe overcrowding 
resulted in unhealthy and dangerous sanitary conditions. 
Many prisons held 200 to 300 percent more persons than they 
were designed to hold. The Government acknowledged the 
problem of overcrowding as the main cause of the harsh 
conditions common in the prison system.  According to 
government sources, approximately 45,000 inmates were held in 
a system of 148 prisons (and 83 satellite prisons) with a 
maximum designed capacity of 33,348 prisoners. Some human 
rights groups estimate a higher number of inmates*-perhaps 
as many as 47,000 (see Section 1.d.). Several times in 2000 
authorities attempted to ease congestion in some smaller 
prisons. For example, in honor of the Eid-El-Kabir in March 
2000, the Governor of Kano State released 159 prisoners, 52 
of whom were pretrial detainees held without charge.  Those 
released also were provided with travel funds to return to 
their homes. In 2001, the Governor of Kaduna State, on the 
recommendation of a state court judge, made a similar release 
of prisoners.  During March 2001, the Chairman of the 
National Human Rights Commission visited Owerri Prison in Imo 
State.  According to NHRC reporting, 90 percent of those in 
prison were awaiting trial.  Multiple adjournments in some 
cases had led to serious delays.  The NHRC urged the courts, 
Ministry of Justice and the police to hasten the expedition 
of the cases awaiting trial. 
 
 
In December, five teenagers were released from Suleja prison, 
in Niger State, through the help of local NGOs. 
 
 
Disease was pervasive in the cramped, poorly ventilated 
facilities, and chronic shortages of medical supplies were 
reported.  Prison inmates were allowed outside their cells 
for recreation or exercise only irregularly, and many inmates 
had to provide their own food.  Only those with money or 
whose relatives brought food regularly had sufficient food; 
petty corruption among prison officials made it difficult for 
money provided for food to reach prisoners.  Poor inmates 
often relied on handouts from others to survive.  Beds or 
mattresses were not provided to many inmates, forcing them to 
sleep on concrete floors, often without a blanket.  Prison 
officials, police, and security forces often denied inmates 
food and medical treatment as a form of punishment or to 
extort money from them.  Harsh conditions and denial of 
proper medical treatment contributed to the deaths of 
numerous prisoners.  A reputable human rights organization 
estimated in 1999 that at least one inmate died per day in 
the Kiri Kiri prison in Lagos alone.  According to the 
Prisoners Rehabilitation and Welfare Action (PRAWA) a 
nongovernmental organization (NGO), dead inmates promptly are 
buried on the prison compounds, usually without notifying 
their families.  A nationwide estimate of the number of 
inmates who die daily in the country's prisons is difficult 
to obtain because of poor record keeping by prison officials. 
 PRAWA and other NGO's alleged that prison conditions were 
worse in rural areas than in urban districts. 
 
 
In practice women and juveniles are held with male prisoners, 
especially in rural areas.  The extent of abuse in these 
conditions is unknown.  In most case, women who commit minor 
offenses are released on bail, while women who commit major 
offenses are detained.  There is no formalized procedure 
regarding the separation of detainees and convicted 
prisoners.  Rather the method of confinement depends wholly 
on the capacity of the facility.  Therefore, due to space 
constraints detainees are often housed with convicted 
prisoners. 
 
 
In 2000 President Obasanjo directed the Ministry of Justice 
to create a judicial administration committee to address the 
questions of overcrowding, prison conditions, and 
rehabilitation. 
 
 
In 2001, the National Human Rights Commission began working 
with the Ministry of Justice and the Legal Resources 
Consortium to draft a new Prisons Bill to conform with 
minimum standard rules of prisons practice and provisions of 
the United Nations.  The NHRC has also urged the Federal 
Government and police against detaining persons in civil 
cases. 
 
 
During the year, the Government allowed international and 
domestic NGO's, including PRAWA and the International 
Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), regular access to prisons; 
however, it did not allow them continuous access to all 
prisons.  PRAWA and the ICRC publish newsletters on their 
work.  The Government admits that there are problems with its 
incarceration and rehabilitation programs and worked with 
groups such as these to address those problems.  However, 
groups such as Rotary International report difficulties at 
the local level in gaining access to prisons and jails to do 
rehabilitation programs. 
 
 
In August local media reported that the Inspector General of 
the police decided to transfer all current members of the 
Lagos-based Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) known as the 
"Scorpions."  Reportedly there had been numerous allegations 
against SARS officers for corruption, including aiding and 
abetting crime groups. 
 
 
 
 
d. Arbitrary Arrest, Detention, or Exile 
 
 
The Constitution prohibits arbitrary arrest and detention; 
however, security forces generally did not observe these 
prohibitions.  Police and security forces continued to use 
arbitrary arrest and detention. 
 
 
Police and security forces were empowered to make arrests 
without warrants if they believed that there was reason to 
suspect that a person had committed an offense; they often 
abused this power.  Under the Fundamental Rights Enforcement 
Procedures Rules of the Constitution, police may arrest and 
detain persons for 24 hours before charging them with an 
offense.  The law requires an arresting officer to inform the 
accused of charges at the time of arrest and to take the 
accused persons to a station for processing within a 
reasonable amount of time.  By law police must provide 
suspects with the opportunity to engage counsel and post 
bail.  However, police generally did not adhere to legally 
mandated procedures.  Suspects routinely were detained 
without being informed of the charges, denied access to 
counsel and family members, and denied the opportunity to 
post bail for bailable offenses.  Detainees often were kept 
incommunicado for long periods of time.  The provision of 
bail was often arbitrary or subject to extra-judicial 
influence.  In many parts of the country, there was no 
functioning system of bail, resulting in many suspects being 
held in investigative detention for sustained periods. 
Numerous suspects alleged that police demanded payment before 
they were taken to court to have their cases heard.  If 
family members attend court proceedings, an additional 
payment often is demanded by police. 
 
 
In August, security agents arrested and detained for 27 days 
without charge Sheik Yakubu Musa, a Katsina-based Islamic 
scholar; the Abuja High Court later ordered his release. 
 
 
Human Rights Watch reported that the police arrested hundreds 
of MASSOB and detained many without charge; MASSOB leader 
Ralph Uwazuruike was arrested several times during the year. 
In 2000 the Committee for the Defense of Human Rights 
reported that 302 OPC members were arrested following clashes 
with the police in Lagos.  Of those detainees, 95 were 
released in 2000.  The remaining detainees were not able to 
obtain legal representation and either could not make bail or 
were not eligible for bail due to the charges brought against 
them. 
 
 
Security forces temporarily detained journalists in a few 
instances during the year.  (see Section 2.a.). 
 
 
Students in general are no longer singled out for arrest 
because of political activities; however, many students were 
detained during the year for allegedly taking part in cult or 
criminal activities on university campuses. 
 
 
No information was available during the year about the Ogoni 
activists who were arrested in 2000. 
 
 
On March 23, police in Gombe arrested 19 reportedly peaceful 
persons for unlawful assembly (see Section 2.c.) 
 
 
Lengthy pretrial detention remained a serious problem. 
According to the Constitution, persons charged with offenses 
have the right to an expeditious trial; however, in practice 
this right was not respected.  Serious backlogs, endemic 
corruption, and undue political influence continued to hamper 
the judicial system (see Section 1.e.).  The 
Controller-General of prisons estimated that two-thirds of 
prisoners are detainees awaiting trial who have not been 
charged (see Section 1.c.). In January the Minister of State 
for Internal Affairs reportedly said that there were 45,000 
inmates in the Nigerian prison system, 75 percent of who were 
awaiting trial. Many of the pretrial detainees held without 
charge had been detained for periods far longer than the 
maximum allowable sentence for the crimes for which they were 
being held.  Police cited their inability to securely 
transport detainees to trial on scheduled trial dates as one 
reason why so many detainees were denied trial. 
 
 
Persons who happen to be in the vicinity of a crime when 
committed are at times held for interrogation for periods 
ranging from a few hours to several months.  After their 
release, those detained frequently are asked to return 
repeatedly for further questioning.  Police continued the 
practice of placing relatives and friends of wanted suspects 
in detention without criminal charge to induce suspects to 
surrender to arrest. There were reports that Imo state prison 
officials work with some pretrial detainees to blackmail 
those who knowingly or unknowingly purchased stolen goods 
from the detainees.  These persons, usually prominent 
individuals residing in larger cities such as Abuja and 
Lagos, are remanded to Imo state custody and told that they 
also will be prosecuted for the transfer of stolen goods; 
however, if they pay a bribe, they are released as is the 
pretrial detainee who colluded with the prison officials. 
 
 
There were no reports of political detainees during the year. 
 
 
In 2000, Ismaila Gwarzo, the national security advisor to 
former Head of State General Sani Abacha, was placed under 
house arrest without any charges being brought. 
 
 
The Constitution prohibits the expulsion of citizens, and the 
Government does not use forced exile.  Many citizens who had 
lived abroad due to fear of persecution under previous 
military regimes continued to return to the country during 
the year. 
 
 
 
 
e. Denial of Fair Public Trial 
 
 
The Constitution provides for an independent judiciary; 
however, in practice, the judiciary remained subject to 
executive and legislative branch pressure, was influenced by 
political leaders at both the state and federal levels, and 
suffered from corruption and inefficiency.  Understaffing, 
underfunding, inefficiency, and corruption continued to 
prevent the judiciary from functioning adequately.  Citizens 
encountered long delays and frequent requests from judicial 
officials for small bribes in order to expedite cases. 
 
 
Under the Constitution, the regular court system is composed 
of federal and state trial courts, state appeals courts, the 
Federal Court of Appeal, and the Federal Supreme Court. 
There also are Shari'a (Islamic) and customary (traditional) 
courts of appeal for each state and for the Federal Capital 
Territory (Abuja).  Courts of the first instance include 
magistrate or district courts, customary or traditional 
courts, Shari'a courts, and for some specified cases, the 
state high courts.  The nature of the case usually determines 
which court has jurisdiction.  In principle customary and 
Shari'a courts have jurisdiction only if both plaintiff and 
defendant agree.  However, in practice, preference, fear of 
legal costs, delays, and distance to alternative venues 
encouraged many litigants to choose the customary and Shari'a 
courts over the regular venues.  Shari'a courts, which have 
begun to function in 12 northern states, carried out two 
amputations during the year (see Section 1.c.) 
 
 
Criminal justice procedures call for trial within 3 months of 
arraignment for most categories of crimes.  Understaffing of 
the judiciary, inefficient administrative procedures, petty 
extortion, bureaucratic inertia, poor communication between 
police and prison officials, and inadequate transportation 
continued to result in considerable delays, often stretching 
to several years, in bringing suspects to trial (see Section 
1.d.). 
 
 
Trials in the regular court system are public and generally 
respect constitutionally protected individual rights in 
criminal cases, including a presumption of innocence, the 
right to be present, to confront witnesses, to present 
evidence, and to be represented by legal counsel.  However, 
there is a widespread perception that judges easily are 
bribed or "settled," and that litigants cannot rely on the 
courts to render impartial judgements.  Most prisoners are 
poor and cannot afford to pay the costs associated with 
moving their trials forward, and as a result they remain in 
prison.  Wealthier defendants employ numerous delaying 
tactics and in many cases used financial inducements to 
persuade judges to grant numerous continuances.  This, and 
similar practices, clogged the court calendar and prevented 
trials from starting. 
 
 
Many courts are understaffed, and personnel underpaid. 
Judges frequently fail to appear for trials, often because 
they are pursuing other means of income.  In addition court 
officials often lack the proper equipment, training, and 
motivation to perform their duties, again due in no small 
part to their inadequate compensation. 
 
 
There are no legal provisions barring women or other groups 
from testifying in civil court or giving their testimony less 
weight; however, the testimony of women and non-Muslims 
usually is accorded less weight in Shari'a courts (see 
Section 5). 
 
 
The Movement for the Survival of the Ogoni People (MOSOP) and 
the Saro-Wiwa family continued to petition President 
Obasanjo, the Minister of Justice, and the Oputa Human Rights 
panel to reverse the verdict of the Auta Tribunal that 
convicted Saro-Wiwa and the Ogoni-9 in October 1995. At 
year's end, the Government had not responded to the two year 
old appeal to clear the names of Saro-wiwa and the Ogoni 
activists, who were executed by the regime of Sani Abacha in 
November 1995. 
 
 
There were no reports of political prisoners. 
 
 
 
 
f. Arbitrary Interference with Privacy, Family, Home or 
   Correspondence 
 
 
The Constitution prohibits such actions; however, although 
government authorities generally respect these prohibitions, 
authorities continued at times to infringe on these rights. 
 
 
Police and security forces continued the practice of placing 
relatives and friends of wanted suspects in detention without 
criminal charge to induce suspects to surrender to arrest. 
There were calls by human rights groups for the police to end 
the practice. 
 
 
Although the expanded Shari'a laws technically do not apply 
to Christians, the Christian minority, especially in Zamfara 
and Sokoto states, was subjected to many of the social 
provisions of the law, such as the separation of the sexes in 
public transportation vehicles (a law that was repealed after 
only 2 weeks), and in health facilities, the segregation by 
gender of school children, and bans on the selling of alcohol 
(see Section 2.c.).  At least on Christian was punished for 
violating Shari'a laws (see Section 1.c.) 
 
 
Section 2. Respect for Civil Liberties, Including: 
 
 
 a.  Freedom of Speech and Press 
 
 
The Constitution provides for freedom of speech and of the 
press, and the Government generally respected these rights; 
however, there were problems in some areas. 
The Government owns and controls some publications; however, 
there is a large and vibrant private domestic press that 
frequently is critical of the Government.  There are two 
national, government-owned daily newspapers in English, the 
New Nigerian and the Daily Times.  The New Nigerian publishes 
an additional Hausa edition.  Several states own daily or 
weekly newspapers that also are published in English.  They 
tend to be produced poorly, have limited circulation, and 
require large state subsidies to continue operating. By the 
end of 2000, five major daily newspapers, one newsmagazine, 
and several sensational evening newspapers and tabloid 
publications had begun publication.    Two new newspapers 
began publication in 2001. 
 
 
On May 26, 1999, in the last days of Abubakar regime, Decree 
60 was signed into law and created the Nigerian Press 
Council, which was charged with the enforcement of 
professional ethics and the sanctioning of journalists who 
violated these ethics. The decree, which virtually made 
members of the council employees of the Government, also 
contained a number of provisions inimical to the operation of 
a free press.  Among other provisions, Decree 60 gave the 
Press Council the power to accredit and register journalists 
and the power to suspend journalists from practicing.  Decree 
60 required that publications be registered by the Council 
annually through a system entitled "Documentation of 
Newspapers." The penalties for practicing without meeting the 
Council's standards were a fine of $2,200 (250,000 Naira) or 
imprisonment for a term not to exceed 3 years.  The decree 
also empowered the Council to approve a code of professional 
and ethical conduct to guide the press and to ensure 
compliance by journalists.  Under the decree, publishers were 
expected to send a report of the performance of their 
publications to the Council; failure to do so was an offense 
that carried a fine of $900 (100,000 naira).  The Nigerian 
Press Council opened an office and hired staff in Abuja; 
however, it did not take any official action during the year. 
 Many journalists believe that the existence of the decree 
and the Council are significant limitations on freedom of the 
press. 
 
 
Editors report that government security officers sometimes 
visit or call to demand information about a story or source; 
however, journalists and editors no longer fear suspension or 
imprisonment for their editorial decisions for failing to 
comply with such demands.  State broadcasters and journalists 
remain important tools for civilian governors; these 
officials use the state-owned media to showcase the state's 
accomplishments and to promote their own political fortunes. 
 
 
During the year, there were a few cases of threats against 
and attacks on the press.  In April, police beat a 
photographer and destroyed the film in his camera when he 
attempted to photograph a suspect leaving the Lagos High 
Court. 
 
 
In May, Imo State security personnel raided newsstands where 
they seized and burned publications that carried stories on 
activities of MASSOB, a group advocating revival of the 
Biafran Republic. 
 
 
In June police arrested, detained, and charged with libel 
Nnamdi Onyeuma, editor of weekly magazine Glamour Trends, in 
connection with a story alleging that President Obasanjo 
received a $1 million allowance for each of his many foreign 
trips.  Onyeuma was released on bail awaiting court action at 
year's end. 
 
 
During the year, governors from Kano, Imo, and Zamfara states 
were involved in disputes with journalists and publicly 
threatened the media.  State governments also have threatened 
and detained journalists who have criticized their policies. 
For example, a journalist temporarily lost his accreditation 
to cover the State House in Imo State because of an article 
critical of the Governor's wife. 
Because newspapers and television are relatively expensive 
and literacy levels are low, radio remains the most important 
medium of mass communication and information.  There is a 
national radio broadcaster, the Federal Radio Corporation of 
Nigeria, which broadcasts in English, Hausa, Yoruba, Igbo, 
and other languages; 51 state radio stations broadcast in 
English and local languages. There were six private radio 
stations operating during the year.  No new private radio 
licenses were issued during the year by the National 
Broadcasting Commission (NBC), the body responsible for the 
deregulation and monitoring of the broadcast media. Ten 
applications pending from 1999 still were awaiting NBC 
approval at year's end. 
International broadcasters, principally the Voice of America 
(VOA) and British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), as well as 
Deutsche Welle and others, broadcast in English and Hausa and 
are an important source of news in the country. 
 
 
In January police beat, arrested and detained Igha Oghole, a 
journalist with Radio Benue, Makurdi, after he insisted on 
conducting a scheduled interview with the police commissioner 
rather than interviewing his subordinate. 
 
 
The National Television Station, NTA, is federally owned, 
while 30 states also operate television stations.  There are 
nine privately owned television stations that broadcast 
domestic news and political commentary.  There are two 
private satellite television services.  The law requires 
local television stations to limit programming from other 
countries to 40 percent and restricts the foreign content of 
satellite broadcasting to 20 percent, but the Government does 
not restrict access to, or reception of, international cable 
or satellite television. 
 
 
The NBC threatened to take private television and radio 
stations off the air when the stations refused to pay 2.5 
percent of their gross income to the NBC; the Independent 
Broadcasters Association of Nigeria (IBAN) challenged the 
fees in court.  In October the Federal Government set the 
annual fee for the broadcasters at $1,300 (N150,000).  During 
the year, the NBC also prevented the commissioning of the 
Here and There television station in Oyo State, ruling that 
the original license had expired.  The NBC also challenged 
expansion plans by African Independent Television (AIT), a 
part of Daar Communications, claiming that AIT's global and 
terrestrial licenses do not allow them to act as a network. 
 
 
While private television and radio broadcasters remained 
economically viable on advertising revenues alone, despite 
the restrictions that the Government imposed on them, 
government-sponsored broadcasters complained that government 
funding and advertising were inadequate for their needs. 
 
 
Since the 1999 elections, foreign journalists who sought to 
enter the country to cover political developments generally 
have been able to obtain visas, and many of the obstacles 
that previously frustrated foreign journalists were removed. 
Officials within the Ministry of Information became more 
accommodating to requests from foreign journalists. 
 
 
The Government did not restrict Internet access, although 
unreliable and costly telephone service limited access and 
hindered service providers.  NITEL, the Nigerian PTT, 
competed with dozens of privately owned Internet service 
providers (ISP's).  All other ISP's were owned privately. 
 
 
The Government continued to take concrete steps to address 
the problems in the education sector and to restore academic 
freedom.  In 1999 Obasanjo approved the establishment of four 
new private universities, but the quality of secondary 
education generally remained low. Student groups alleged that 
numerous strikes, inadequate facilities, and the rise of 
cultism (or gangs) on campuses continue to hamper educational 
progress.  On several occasions during the year, protests by 
students resulted in harassment and arrest by police forces. 
(See Section 1.d.) 
 
 
 
 
 
 
b. Freedom of Peaceful Assembly and Association 
 
 
The Constitution provides for freedom of assembly, and the 
Government generally respected this right, although some 
limits remained. 
 
 
The Government continued to nominally require organizers of 
outdoor public functions to apply for permits, although both 
government authorities and those assembling often ignored 
this requirement.  The Government retained legal provisions 
banning gatherings whose political, ethnic, or religious 
content might lead to unrest.  Open-air religious services 
away from places of worship remained prohibited in many 
states due to religious tensions in these parts of the 
country.  For example, various northern states, including 
Plateau, Kano, Zamfara, and Kaduna, banned public gatherings 
immediately following periods of unrest, but they did so in 
consultation with a number of religious and traditional 
groups, and local governments in order to prevent a 
recurrence of unrest. In September Kaduna state government 
extended its ban on processions, rallies, demonstrations, and 
meetings in public places in order to prevent repetition of 
the violence that followed the announcement of the enactment 
of Shari'a law in 2000 (see Sections 1.a. and 2.c.) 
 
 
In September a political rally in Zamfara State turned 
violent, prompting a temporary ban on public political 
rallies in the state.  On October 31, the Ondo state 
government banned open-air religious meetings by both 
Christians and Muslims in a bid to prevent religious violence 
(see Section 5). In October, a security forces committee 
banned all political, cultural, and religious meetings in 
Plateau state following ethno-religious clashes in the Jos, 
the state capital (see Section 5). 
 
 
In December in Rivers State, police dispersed a rally of the 
National Youth Council of Ogoni People because the group 
reportedly had not received authorization to hold the 
demonstration.  In October the police banned for security 
reasons a PDP rally scheduled to take place in Sokoto on 
October 4 and 5.  In July the police banned the meeting of a 
group known as the Fourth Dimension, led by former Vice 
President Augustus Aikhomu, because of violence that occurred 
at a prior meeting in Benin City.  In March the Government 
banned a seminar on Islamic law that was planned in Zaria. In 
May police cancelled a planned meeting of southern governors 
in Enugu, reportedly because the meeting was "capable of 
creating disharmony."  Police regularly disrupt meetings of 
the OPC, and maintain a ban on the organization. 
 
 
The Constitution provides for the right to associate freely 
with other persons in political parties, trade unions, or 
special interest associations, and the Government generally 
respected this right in practice; however, there were 
exceptions.  Although the Constitution allows the free 
formation of political parties, only three parties were 
registered with the INEC.  The Constitution requires parties 
to have membership in two-thirds of the country's 36 states. 
 
 
 
 
c. Freedom of Religion 
 
 
The Constitution provides for freedom of religion, including 
freedom to change one's religion or belief, and freedom to 
manifest and propagate one's religion or belief in worship, 
teaching, practice, and observance; however, the Government 
restricted these rights in certain respects. The 
implementation of an expanded version of Shari'a law in 12 
northern states continued, which challenged constitutional 
protections for religious freedom and occasionally sparked 
inter-religious violence. 
 
 
The Constitution prohibits state and local governments from 
adopting an official religion; however, some Christians have 
alleged that Islam has been adopted as the de facto state 
religion of several northern states, given the reintroduction 
of Shari'a criminal law, and the continued use of state 
resources to fund the construction of mosques, the teaching 
of Alkalis (Muslim judges), and pilgrimages to Mecca (Hajj). 
However, state funds also are used to fund Christian 
pilgrimages to Jerusalem.  In general states with a clear 
Christian or Muslim majority explicitly favor the majority 
faith.  There are 36 states in the country; governors have 
autonomy in decision making but derive their resources from 
the federal Government.  Both the federal and state 
governments are involved in religious matters, including the 
regulation of mandatory religious instruction in public 
schools, subsidized construction of churches and mosques, 
state-sponsored participation in the Hajj, and pilgrimages to 
Jerusalem. Approximately half of the population is Muslim, 
about 40 percent Christian, and about 10 percent practice 
traditional indigenous religion or no religion. 
 
 
On November 2, Kaduna state implemented a modified version of 
Shari'a law.  Islamic punishments are not being incorporated 
into the criminal code in Kaduna, as has happened in several 
other northern states. 
The Constitution provides that states may elect to use 
Islamic (Shari'a) customary law and courts.  Until the 
reintroduction of criminal Shari'a by Zamfara State in 
January 2000, the jurisdiction of Shari'a courts, which are 
part of the regular court system, had been limited to family 
or personal law cases involving Muslims, or to civil disputes 
between Muslims who consent to the courts' jurisdiction. 
However, the Constitution states that a Shari'a court of 
appeal may exercise "such other jurisdiction as may be 
conferred upon it by the law of the State."  Some states have 
interpreted this language as granting them the right to 
expand the jurisdiction of existing Shari'a courts to include 
criminal matters (see Section 1.e.).  In October 1999, 
Zamfara state passed laws establishing Shari'a courts and 
courts of appeal, and another bill that constituted the 
Shari'a penal code; the bills took effect on January 27, 
¶2000.  Zamfara adopted traditional Shari'a in its entirety, 
with the exception that apostasy was not criminalized.  After 
the adoption of Shari'a in Zamfara, other northern states 
began to implement forms of expanded Shari'a.  By year's end 
12 northern states had adopted variations of Shari'a law -- 
Zamfara, Sokoto, Kebbi, Niger, Kano, Katsina, Kaduna, Jigawa, 
Yobe, and Bauchi, Borno and Gombe. Adherence to the new 
Shari'a provisions is compulsory for Muslims in some states 
and optional in others. Previously Shari'a law had been 
practiced in the north in the areas of personal law, only if 
both litigants agreed to settle their disputes in Shari'a 
courts.  Elements of Shari'a also had been present in the 
northern penal code, which had been applicable in the north 
since independence. 
 
 
The Constitution also provides that the federal Government is 
to establish a Federal Shari'a Court of Appeal and Final 
Court of Appeal; however, the Government had not yet 
established such courts by the end of the period covered by 
this report. 
 
 
Although religious belief or adherence is not required for 
membership in registered political parties, in May 2001, the 
Zamfara state house assembly suspended for 3 months two of 
its Muslim members, Ibrahim Musa Murai and Abdullahi Majidadi 
Kurya, for not supporting bills introduced by the governor. 
They were accused of not showing full support for a 
compulsory closing of businesses, schools, and hospitals 
during Friday prayers and an enforced zakkat (alms) payment 
to assist the needy. 
 
 
Christian and Islamic groups planning to build new churches 
or mosques are required to register with the Corporate 
Affairs Commission (CAC).  The law requires that such groups 
name a board of trustees, place a notice of the group's 
intent to organize in three nationwide newspapers, and send 
trustee information to the CAC.  If no objections are 
received, the group can proceed with its meetings.  This law 
was put into effect to stem the proliferation of new 
buildings in the absence of zoning laws, to resolve legal 
questions arising from disputes over church ownership and 
control, to provide a single registry for government 
reference in the event that compensation is demanded 
following civil disturbances, and to allow for legal 
solemnization of marriages.  The CAC did not deny 
registration to any religious group during the year; however, 
some religious groups experienced delays in obtaining 
permission from local zoning boards to build houses of 
worship. 
 
 
Although distribution of religious publications remained 
generally unrestricted, the Government continued to enforce 
lightly a ban on published religious advertisements.  There 
were reports by Christians in Zamfara state that the state 
government restricted the distribution of religious 
(Christian) literature. Similar discrimination against the 
use of state-owned media for Muslim programming was reported 
in the south. 
 
 
The Government continued to enforce a ban on the existence of 
religious organizations on campuses of primary schools, 
although individual students retain the right to practice 
their religion in recognized places of worship. According to 
the Constitution, students are not required to receive 
instruction relating to a religion other than their own; 
however, public school students throughout the country were 
subjected to mandatory Islamic or Christian religious 
instruction.  Islamic studies are mandatory in public schools 
in Zamfara and other northern states, to the exclusion of 
Christianity.  State authorities claim that students are 
permitted to decline to attend these classes or to request a 
teacher of their own religion to provide alternative 
instruction; however, in practice the dominant religion of 
the state is taught in the school, and students cannot use 
these other mechanisms.  There are reports that Christianity 
is taught in the same manner in Enugu and Edo states, and 
that Muslim students cannot access Koranic teaching in the 
public schools. During the period covered by this report, 
Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) leaders volunteered to 
place teachers of Christianity in Zamfara and Sokoto state 
schools, where students alleged that they were being forced 
to take courses in Islamic religious knowledge in order to 
graduate.  Governors of both states accepted the offer of 
assistance and stated that they had not been aware of the 
problem; however, CAN did not provide any teachers in either 
state during the year.  They indicated that schools in rural 
areas may not have qualified teachers of Biblical or 
Christian education classes, and that students in such 
schools have a right to opt out of Koranic knowledge classes, 
which otherwise would be required. 
 
 
The law prohibits religious discrimination; however, reports 
were common that government officials discriminated against 
persons practicing a religion different from their own, 
notably in hiring or awarding contracts. 
 
 
Christians in the predominantly Muslim northern states also 
alleged that local government officials used zoning 
regulations to stop or slow the establishment of new 
Christian churches.  Officials have responded that many of 
these new churches are being formed in traditionally 
residential neighborhoods that were not zoned for religious 
purposes.  The Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) offices 
in Zamfara and Sokoto states alleged that local authorities 
there delayed or denied to Christians certificates of 
occupancy (CO's), which are required to show title to land. 
For example, the Catholic Church in Zamfara state has been 
unable to retake possession of a clinic that was confiscated 
during a period of military rule in the 1970's.  Renewal of 
the CO for the church building was approved; however, the 
Church has been unable to obtain a CO to reoccupy the clinic 
building and the adjoining land.  Zamfara and Sokoto state 
officials denied that discrimination was behind the cases 
cited by CAN.  State officials said the certification boards 
were dealing with a large backlog of cases for all persons, 
regardless of religious faith. 
 
 
As the result of ethnic and religious violence related to the 
expansion of Shari'a criminal law in various states, (see 
Section 5), several state governments banned public 
proselytizing, although it is permitted by the Constitution. 
The Katsina and Plateau state governments enacted and 
maintained a ban on public proselytizing for security 
reasons. Some states relaxed these restrictions informally 
during the reporting period, and allowed some public 
proselytizing by Christians and Muslims.  Missionaries 
reported that law enforcement officials harassed them when 
they proselytized outside of their designated zones. During 
the year, Kaduna maintained a ban, enacted in 2000, on all 
forms of "processions, rallies, demonstrations, and meetings 
in public places."  Such bans were viewed as necessary public 
safety measures after the deaths of thousands in 
predominantly ethno-religious conflicts, sparked in part by 
the expansion of Shari'a since 2000, in Kaduna, Plateau, 
Kano, Gombe and Bauchi (see Section 5).  On October 31, the 
Ondo state government banned open-air religious meetings by 
both Christians and Muslims in a bid to prevent religious 
violence.  However, large outdoor religious gatherings 
continued to be quite common, especially in the southern part 
of the country.  In November, religious rioting in Osogbo, 
Osun state, reportedly led to at least one death and the 
destruction of several places of worship. 
 
 
The Federal Government has tacitly acknowledged the ability 
of states to implement criminal Shari'a.  However, the 
Federal Government has instituted a committee charged with 
the responsibility to draft uniform Shari'a criminal and 
procedural laws that could be adopted by all states, instead 
of the current state-drafted statutes that differ in many 
respects (see Section 1.c.). 
 
 
Although the expanded Shari'a does not apply to Christians, 
Christians in some states have been subjected to many of the 
social provisions of the law All Muslims in states that 
expanded Shari'a to criminal matters are subject to the new 
Shari'a criminal codes. All cases involving only Muslims must 
be heard by a Shari'a court.  Other states with Shari'a law 
still permit Muslims to choose common law courts for criminal 
cases; however, societal pressure forces most Muslims to use 
the Shari'a court system.  Various human rights groups have 
challenged the constitutionality of criminal Shari'a, but 
these suits have failed for lack of a plaintiff with adequate 
legal standing. 
In March journalists covering the implementation of Shari'a 
law in Bauchi state were warned by the governor, Ahmed 
Mu'azu, that they would be prosecuted if they misrepresented 
the Government's position on Shari'a.  None were arrested for 
this reason by year's end. 
 
 
A number of states informally sanctioned private vigilante 
Shari'a enforcement groups. In Zamfara state, Governor Ahmed 
Sani vested the local vigilante group with full powers of 
arrest and prosecution because he believed that the police 
were not enforcing the new Shari'a laws.  Governor Saminu 
Turaki of Jigawa state also mobilized a statewide Shari'a 
enforcement committee to arrest, detain, and prosecute Muslim 
offenders.  In April the Katsina Arts and Musicians 
Association wrote to the Katsina House of Assembly protesting 
the arrest and detention of Sirajo Mai Asharalle.  Asharalle 
was arrested by the state-sanctioned Rundunar Adalci 
vigilante group while performing music at a local function, 
but was released soon after his arrest.  The performance of 
music and dancing was banned under the Shari'a law introduced 
by Katsina state. 
 
 
 
 
d. Freedom of Movement Within the Country, Foreign Travel, 
   Emigration, and Repatriation 
 
 
The Constitution provides for these rights, and in general, 
the Government respected this right; however, police 
occasionally restricted this right by setting up roadblocks 
and checkpoints and enforcing curfews in areas with civil 
unrest.  For example, in October, a dusk-to-dawn curfew was 
imposed in Makurdi and Gboko, Benue state, following civil 
unrest in the region. Roadblocks and checkpoints routinely 
are used by law enforcement agencies to search for criminals 
and to prevent the transport of  bodies from areas of 
conflict to other parts of the country where their presence 
might instigate retaliatory violence. Security and law 
enforcement officials continued to use excessive force at 
checkpoints and roadblocks and engage in extortion and 
violence (see Sections 1.a. and 1.c.).  Unlike in the 
previous year, there were no reports of government officials 
restricting mass movements of individuals fleeing ethnic 
unrest. 
 
 
Violent clashes between ethnic Hausa and various non-Muslim 
ethnic groups in Jos, Tafawa Balewa, and Kano resulted in the 
imposition of dusk-to-dawn curfews following the deaths of 
numerous persons (see Sections 1.a. and 5).  In September and 
October, Tiv youths set up roadblocks in eastern Benue to 
harass and kill ethnic Jukuns (see Section 1.a.). 
 
 
The Constitution also prohibits the denial of exit or entry 
to any citizen, and the Government generally respected this 
law.  Some men take their wives' and children's passports and 
other identification documents with them while traveling 
abroad to prevent their family from leaving the country (see 
Section 5).  In August General Jeremiah Useni, a retired 
general and former Minister of the Federal Capital 
Territories under the Abacha regime, was prevented from 
traveling outside Nigeria and his passport was confiscated; 
the Federal Government provided no reason for this action, 
but it was widely assumed to be related to allegations of 
corruption. 
 
 
Prominent human rights and prodemocracy activists who fled 
the country during the regime of General Sani Abacha 
continued to return to the country as did many economic 
refugees.  There were no reports that the Government denied 
passports to political figures or journalists or interrogated 
citizens who were issued visas to foreign countries; however, 
there have been sporadic but unsubstantiated reports that 
persons still were questioned upon entry or exit to the 
country at Murtala Muhammed International Airport. 
 
 
During periods of civil unrest, numerous persons were 
displaced from their places of residence.  In late June and 
early July  several thousand Hausa families fled Tafawa 
Balewa in southern Bauchi state, following violent attacks by 
the majority Sayawa ethnic group; according to the ICRC, 
approximately 20,000 fled their homes, and several dozen may 
have been killed. In September approximately 15,000 persons 
were displaced by interethnic violence in Jos. In September 
and October, thousands of persons from all ethnic groups fled 
violence in Tafawa Balewa and Kano and approximately several 
hundred thousand persons were displaced due to ethnic 
conflict in Benue, Taraba and Nasarawa States (see Section 
2.c.)  In October following civil unrest in Kano, many Igbo 
and Yoruba residents sent their families south.  (see 
Sections 1.a. and 5).  Many persons fleeing civil unrest 
first shelter and safety at military barracks, police 
compounds, and other public places.  Some were still living 
in such government buildings at the end of 2001. Thousands of 
persons, both Christian and Muslim, were displaced internally 
following the Kaduna riots in 2000; most returned to their 
homes during the year. 
 
 
Many returnees remained apprehensive about continuing to work 
in these areas, with some returning only to finish business 
contracts or to sell their homes in order to arrange a more 
permanent departure. 
 
 
A few hundred residents of the Odi village, razed by soldiers 
in 1999, have returned to the area; however the Federal 
Government has not provided them with assistance to 
reconstruct their village (see Section 1.a.). 
The law provides for the granting of refugee and asylum 
status in accordance with the 1951 UN Convention Relating to 
the Status of Refugees and its 1967 Protocol.  The Government 
cooperated with the Lagos office of the UN High Commissioner 
for Refugees (UNHCR) and other humanitarian agencies in 
assisting refugees through the National Commission for 
Refugees and its Federal Commissioner.  The Eligibility 
Committee, which governs the granting of refugee status, 
asylum, and resettlement, reviews refugee and resettlement 
applications.  A representative from the UNHCR participates 
in this committee.  The issue of the provision of first 
asylum has not arisen since the establishment of the National 
Commission for Refugees under Decree 52. 
 
 
At year's end, there were 6,933 recognized refugees: 13 from 
Angola; 23 from Benin; 4 from Cameroon; 1,703 from Sierra 
Leone; 3,194 from Chad; 74 from Sudan; 1,561 from Liberia; 69 
from Cote d'Ivoire; and 292 from other countries. The 
Government also resettled in the country 3 Cameroonians, 3 
Chadians, 5 Sudanese, 13 Liberians, and 17 persons from other 
countries. 
 
 
There were no reports of the forced return of persons to a 
country where they feared persecution. 
 
 
 
 
Section 3 Respect for Political Rights: The Right of Citizens 
 to Change Their Government 
 
 
The Constitution provides citizens the right to change their 
government peacefully through periodic, free, and fair 
elections held on the basis of universal suffrage. Citizens 
exercised this right in national elections for president and 
the National Assembly in February 1999. The President, Vice 
President, and other national and state officials serve 
4-year terms.  The next state and national elections are 
scheduled for 2003, while local government elections are 
scheduled for 2002. However, the local government elections 
may move to 2003 due to the passage of a controversial 
electoral law in December. The INEC is working with several 
international electoral assistance organizations to help 
improve the process in 2003.  No INEC officials have faced 
disciplinary action as result of their alleged involvement in 
corrupt activities that marred the 1999 elections. 
 
 
The Constitution outlaws the seizure of the Government by 
force and contains provisions for the removal of the 
President, Vice President, ministers, legislators, and state 
government officials for gross misconduct or medical reasons. 
Early in the year, there was an unsuccessful attempt to 
remove Speaker Ghali Na'abba allegedly led by members of the 
executive branch. Evidence of widespread fraud and corruption 
in the attempt to buy votes for the removal of Na'abba forced 
the abandonment of the effort to remove the speaker. 
 
 
The political system remains in transition.  The three 
branches of the Government acted somewhat independently. 
Despite his party's substantial majority in the legislature, 
the President was not able to exercise authority without 
legislative oversight and inclusiveness. The Senate and the 
House of Representatives took legislative responsibilities 
such as budget review and oversight, the election reform 
initiative, and resource allocation seriously.  Obasanjo 
created several commissions to investigate past government 
contracts and human rights abuses, which were overwhelmed 
with applications to present evidence of wrongdoing (see 
Section 4).  However, the judicial branch remained weakened 
by years of neglect and politicization (see Section 1.e.) 
 
 
The Constitution was promulgated on May 5, 1999.  The 
constitution-writing process was criticized for not being 
open to enough participants and for not being subjected to 
wider debate on the country's federal structure, revenue 
allocation and power-sharing formulas, and minority ethnic 
groups' rights.  Complaints about the Constitution persisted 
and there were continued calls for a national conference to 
reexamine the constitutional and political structure of 
Nigeria.  While there were many different conceptions of what 
such a conference would involve, those in the southwest 
tended to favor a "sovereign" national conference, which 
would modify the existing constitution to implement a more 
decentralized structure. 
 
 
In early December the President signed an electoral law that 
moved local elections from 2002 to 2003.  This provision was 
contested by the state governors and state assemblies as an 
infringement on the states constitutional powers to control 
local government.  While allowing new political parties to 
participate in local elections in 2003, the act prohibited 
them from from participation in state and national elections 
until 2007.   After weeks of public debate, both Houses of 
the National Assembly repealed the prohibition against new 
parties participating in the 2003 national and state 
elections. The  constitutionality of the law and how it was 
amended was also the subject of a suit  before the Supreme 
Court. 
 
 
The percentage of women in government and politics does not 
correspond to their percentage of the population; however, 
there were no legal impediments to political participation or 
voting by women. Men continued to dominate the political 
arena and NGO's continued to protest the limited 
representation of women in the political process.  Out of 
more than 500 ministerial and National Assembly positions, 
there are only six female ministers, three female Senators 
and 12 female Representatives.  Women's rights groups lobbied 
local, state, and the Federal Government (and local levels as 
well) to adopt a 30 percent affirmative action program; 
however, these efforts were unsuccessful. 
 
 
There are no legal impediments to participation in government 
by members of any ethnic group.  The Constitution requires 
that government appointments reflect the country's "federal 
character."  However, there are more than 250 ethnic groups, 
and it is difficult to insure representation of every group 
in the Government (see Section 5).  The federal- and 
state-level ministers generally are selected to represent the 
country's and state's regional, ethnic, and religious makeup. 
 President Obasanjo has attempted to create an ethnically 
inclusive Government.  Despite this effort, many groups 
complained of insufficient representation. 
 
 
Middle-belt and Christian officers dominate the military 
hierarchy.  In 1999 Obasanjo retired all military officers 
who held political office, which meant that a 
disproportionate number of northern Hausa officers--who 
dominated the upper ranks under the previous military 
regimes--left the service.  In 2000 there were few military 
retirements, and although they appear to reflect an ethnic or 
religious bias, some in the north believe that the northern 
Hausa are underrepresented in the military. 
 
 
 
 
Section 4 Governmental Attitude Regarding International and 
             Nongovernmental Investigation of Alleged 
Violations 
             of Human Rights 
 
 
A number of domestic and international human rights groups 
generally operate without government restriction, 
investigating and publishing their findings on human rights 
cases.  Government officials are generally cooperative and 
responsive to their views. Criticisms of the Government's 
past human rights record were abundant in various media. 
High-level government officials noted that the human rights 
community assisted in the advancement of democracy.  However, 
in 2001, human rights activists complained that President 
Obasanjo and members of his government did not meet with them 
as frequently as in the previous year. 
 
 
The Catholic Secretariat, a local faith-based interest group, 
continued to hold a monthly open forum in Lagos on various 
subjects relating to past and present human rights issues. 
Discussion panels have included a number of NGO's, media, and 
religious leaders.  Each session ended with recommendations 
to the Government on how best to resolve these issues.  The 
Government had not responded to any of these recommendations 
by year's end. 
 
 
In February the Kano Council of Ullamas declared Kano off 
limits to NGO's after a mob set fire to a truck that hisbah 
(Islamic law enforcers) prevented from entering Kano (see 
Section 2.d.).  The Ulamas lack secular authority, and NGOs 
continue to operate freely in Kano. 
 
 
On October 29, the CRP called on President Obasanjo to take 
responsibility for recent retaliatory attacks by the army 
against Tiv communities in central Benue State (see Section 
1.a.). A number of groups spoke out against the events in 
Benue, and called for full investigations. 
 
 
The ICRC is active, with offices in Abuja and Lagos under the 
direction of a regional delegate.  Its primary human rights 
activities during the year involved the training of prison 
officials on human rights, sanitation, and prisoner health 
(see Section 1.c.). 
 
 
The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) is tasked with 
monitoring and protecting human rights in the country, 
enjoyed greater recognition by and coordination with NGO's, 
and worked hard to establish its credibility as an 
independent monitoring body.  The NHRC is chaired by retired 
Justice Uche Omo and includes 15 other members.  The NHRC was 
establishing zonal affiliates in each of the countries six 
political regions during the year.  The NHRC is supposed to 
work closely with NGO's that are devoted to human rights 
issues.  Since its inception, the NHRC has been denied 
adequate funding to do its job properly.  At year's end, the 
NHRC had created a strategic work plan through 2002, 
inaugurated steering and coordinating committees for the 
national action plan.  During the year, it assisted in 
appealing a number of Shari'a verdicts in the north (see 
Sections 1.c. and 1.e.) 
 
 
The HRVIP, commonly known as the Oputa panel, is a one-time 
panel that was established in 1999 by President Obasanjo to 
investigate human rights abuses dating back to 1966 and the 
time of the first military coup.  The Oputa Panel can 
recommend courses of action to the justice system for 
perpetrators of past abuses, something the NHRC does not do. 
According to Justice Oputa, the chair, the panel's primary 
goal is to provide the country with a systematic examination 
of past human rights abuses to develop a national consensus 
on the boundaries of acceptable behavior by government 
entities as well as individuals.  The panel heard cases 
throughout the year, mostly involving allegations of unlawful 
arrest, detention, and torture as far back as the 1966 
Biafran War (see Sections 1.a. and 1.c.)  The panel also 
heard cases in which the rights of groups were violated.  The 
Oputa Panel held extensive hearings in Lagos, Abuja, Port 
Harcourt, and Kano during the year, and has taken evidence in 
the claims of more than 10,000 petitioners. 
 
 
On January 20, according to newspaper reports, HRVIP Chairman 
Justice Chukwudifu Oputa apologized to the Ogoni ethnic 
minority on behalf of the Government for events in recent 
years. 
 
 
In September President Obasanjo appeared before the panel to 
explain his role in army actions during his tenure as 
military head of state in the late 1970's.  The family of 
late musician Fela Kuti claimed that Obasanjo was involved in 
a 1979 army raid in which Kuti's mother was killed. 
 
 
During the year, former Heads of State, General Ibrahim 
Babangida, General Abdulsalami Abubakar, and General 
Muhammadu Buhari refused to appear to answer questions about 
human rights abuses under their respective regimes. The Panel 
concluded its hearings and began drafting a report of its 
findings, expected to be released in early 2002. 
 
 
 
 
Section 5 Discrimination Based on Race, Sex, Religion, 
 Disability, Language, or Social Status 
 
 
The Constitution provides citizens with the right to freedom 
from discrimination based on "community, place of origin, 
ethnic group, sex, religion, or political opinion." However, 
customary and religious discrimination against women 
persisted, occasional religious violence was a problem, 
social discrimination on the basis of both religion and 
ethnicity remained widespread, and ethnic and regional 
tensions continued to contribute to serious violence both 
between groups of citizens and between citizens and the 
security forces. 
 
 
Women 
 
 
Domestic violence is a problem.  Reports of spousal abuse are 
common, especially wife beating.  Police normally do not 
intervene in domestic disputes, which seldom are discussed 
publicly.  The Penal Code permits husbands to use physical 
means to chastise their wives as long as it does not result 
in "grievous harm," which is defined as loss of sight, 
hearing, power of speech, facial disfigurement, or other life 
threatening injuries.  A women's rights group has estimated 
that spousal abuse occurs in 20 percent of adult 
relationships.  In more traditional areas of the country, 
courts and police are reluctant to intervene to protect women 
who accuse their husbands formally if the level of alleged 
abuse does not exceed customary norms in the areas.  Rape and 
sexual harassment continue to be problems. 
 
 
The Federal Government publicly opposes female genital 
mutilation (FGM), which is condemned widely by international 
health experts as damaging to both physical and psychological 
health; however, it has taken no legal action to curb the 
practice.  There was a bill to ban FGM before the National 
Assembly at year's end. Because of the considerable problems 
that anti-FGM groups faced at the federal level, most are 
refocusing their energies to combat FGM at the state and 
local government area (LGA) level.  In 2000 Edo, Ogun, Cross 
River, Osun, Rivers, and Bayelsa states banned FGM.  In Edo 
state, the punishment for FGM is a $10 (1,000 naira) fine and 
6 months imprisonment, which is a significant amount in rural 
Nigeria.  In addition once a state legislature criminalizes 
FGM, NGO's have found that they must convince the LGA 
authorities that state laws are applicable in their 
districts. 
 
 
The Women's Centre for Peace and Development (WOPED) 
estimated that at least 50 percent of women undergo FGM. 
Studies conducted by the U.N. Development Systems and the 
World Health Organization estimated the FGM rate at 
approximately 60 percent among the nation's female 
population.  However, according to local experts, the actual 
prevalence may be as high as 100 percent in some ethnic 
conclaves in the south.  While practiced in all parts of the 
country, FGM is more predominant in the southern and eastern 
zones.  Women from northern states are less likely to undergo 
FGM; however, those affected are more likely to undergo the 
severe type of FGM known as infibulation.  WOPED believes 
that the practice is perpetuated because of a cultural belief 
that uncircumcised women are promiscuous, unclean, unsuitable 
for marriage, physically undesirable, or potential health 
risks to themselves and their children, especially during 
childbirth.  The National Association of Nigerian Nurses and 
Midwives, The Nigerian Women's Association, and the Nigerian 
Medical Association worked to eradicate the practice and to 
train health care workers on the medical effects of FGM; 
however, contact with health care workers remains limited. 
Nevertheless, most observers agree that the number of women 
and girls who are undergoing FGM is declining each year. 
 
 
Indigenous forms of FGM vary from the simple removal of the 
clitoral hood or labia minora to excision of the clitoris and 
the most dangerous form, infibulation.  The age at which 
women and girls are subjected to the practice varies from the 
first week of life until after a woman delivers her first 
child.  The Ministry of Health, women's groups, and many 
NGO's sponsored public awareness projects to educate 
communities about the health hazards of FGM.  The press 
repeatedly criticized the practice. 
 
 
Prostitution is rampant, particularly in urban areas.  A 
number of states have begun to enforce existing laws or to 
introduce new laws to combat prostitution.  All states that 
have adopted Shari'a have criminalized prostitution (see 
Section 2.c.), and this prohibition is enforced with varying 
degrees of success.  Prostitution is not illegal in Lagos 
state; however, authorities can use statutes that outlaw 
pandering as a justification for arresting prostitutes.  The 
adoption of Shari'a-based legal systems by northern states 
also has led to the strong enforcement of laws against child 
prostitution (see Section 2.c.).  Southern states, like Edo, 
also are criminalizing prostitution and raising the legal age 
for marriage from 16 to 18. 
 
 
There is an active market for trafficking in women to Europe, 
and elsewhere (see Section 6.f.). 
 
 
In some parts of the country, women continue to be harassed 
for social and religious reasons.  Purdah, the Islamic 
practice of keeping girls and women in seclusion from men 
outside the family, continued in parts of the far north. 
 
 
Women also experience considerable discrimination.  There are 
no laws barring women from particular fields of employment; 
however, women often experience discrimination because the 
Government tolerates customary and religious practices that 
adversely affect them.  The Nigerian NGO's Coalition 
expressed concern about continued discrimination against 
women in the private sector, particularly in access to 
employment, promotion to higher professional positions, and 
in salary inequality.  There are credible reports that 
several businesses operate with a "get pregnant, get fired" 
policy.  Women remain underrepresented in the formal sector 
but play an active and vital role in the country's important 
informal economy.  While the number of women employed in the 
business sector increases every year, women do not receive 
equal pay for equal work and often find it extremely 
difficult to acquire commercial credit or to obtain tax 
deductions or rebates as heads of households.  Unmarried 
women in particular endure many forms of discrimination. 
 
 
While some women have made considerable individual progress, 
both in the academic and business world, women remain 
underprivileged.  Although women are not barred legally from 
owning land, under some customary land tenure systems only 
men can own land, and women can gain access to land only 
through marriage or family.  In addition many customary 
practices do not recognize a women's right to inherit her 
husband's property, and many widows were rendered destitute 
when their in-laws took virtually all of the deceased 
husband's property.  Widows are subjected to unfavorable 
conditions as a result of discriminatory traditional customs 
and economic deprivation.  "Confinement" is the most common 
rite of deprivation to which widows are subjected, and it 
occurs predominately in eastern Nigeria.  Confined widows are 
under restrictions for as long as 1 year and usually are 
required to shave their heads and dress in black.   In other 
areas, a widow is considered a part of her husband's 
property, to be "inherited" by his family.  Shari'a personal 
law protects widows property rights. Polygamy continues to be 
practiced widely among all ethnic groups and among Christians 
as well as Muslims and practitioners of traditional 
persuasions.  Women are required by law to obtain permission 
from a male family member to get a passport (see Section 
2.d.).  The testimony of women is not equal to that of men in 
criminal courts (see Section 1.e.). 
 
 
Women have been affected to varying degrees by the adoption 
of various forms of Shari'a law in 12 northern states.  In 
Zamfara state, local governments instituted laws requiring 
the separation of Muslim men and women in transportation and 
health care.  In apparent violation of traditional Shari'a 
jurisprudence, some Alkalis judges denied Shari'a criminal 
protections to women that they provide to men.  For example, 
a few women were subjected to harsh punishments for 
fornication or adultery based upon the fact of pregnancy, 
while men were not convicted without the requisite number of 
witnesses (see Sections 1.c. and 1.e.).A coalition of women's 
rights NGOs in 1998-1999 found inaccurate the Government's 
positive portrayal of its implementation of the CEDAW; there 
reportedly was not much progress during 2001 towards 
rectifying the deficiencies identified. 
 
 
On April 4, President Obasanjo initiated a national policy to 
stop all discrimination against women. 
 
 
Children 
 
 
While the Government increased spending on children's health 
in recent years, it seldom enforced laws designed to protect 
the rights of children.  Public schools continued to be 
inadequate, and limited facilities precluded access to 
education for many children.  The Constitution calls for the 
Government, "when practical," to provide free, compulsory, 
and universal primary education; however, despite the 
President's commitment, compulsory primary education rarely 
was provided. In many parts of Nigeria, girls are 
discriminated against in access to education for social and 
economic reasons.  The literacy rate for men is 58 percent 
but only 41 percent for women.  Rural girls are even more 
disadvantaged than their urban counterparts.  Only 42 percent 
of rural girls are enrolled in school compared with 72 
percent of urban girls. Many families favor boys over girls 
in deciding which children to enroll in secondary and 
elementary schools.  For the families where economic hardship 
restricts the ability to send girls to school, many girls are 
directed into commercial activities such as trading and 
street vending. 
 
 
Cases of child abuse, abandoned infants, child prostitution, 
and physically harmful child labor practices remained common 
throughout the country (see Sections 6.c and 6.d.).  Although 
the law stipulates that "no child shall be ordered to be 
imprisoned," juvenile offenders are incarcerated routinely 
along with adult criminals.  The Government criticized child 
abuse and neglect, but it did not undertake any significant 
measures to stop customary practices harmful to children (see 
Section 6.f.).  There were credible reports that poor 
families sell their daughters into marriage as a means of 
supplementing their incomes.  Young girls are sometimes 
forced into marriage as soon as they reach puberty, 
regardless of age, in order to prevent the "indecency" 
associated with premarital sex. 
 
 
FGM is performed commonly on girls in some areas of the 
country (see Section 5, Women). 
 
 
There was evidence of trafficking in children (see Section 
6.f.). 
 
 
Child labor, including forced child labor, remained a problem 
during the year (see Sections 6.c., 6.d., and 6.f.). 
 
 
Persons with Disabilities 
 
 
While the Government called for private business to institute 
policies that ensured fair treatment for persons with 
disabilities, during 2001 it did not enact any laws requiring 
greater accessibility to buildings or public transportation, 
nor did if formulate any policy specifically ensuring the 
right of persons with disabilities to work. 
 
 
In August the Federal Government established vocational 
training centers in Abuja to provide training to beggars with 
disabilities. 
 
 
Religious Minorities 
 
 
The law prohibits religious discrimination; however, there 
were some instances where officials discriminated against 
people practicing religions different than their own in 
hiring practices and in the awarding of state contracts. 
 
 
Religious differences often correspond to regional and ethnic 
differences.  For example, the northern region is 
predominately  Muslim. Many southern ethnic groups are 
predominantly Christian, although the Yoruba are roughly 
fifty percent Muslim. Both Muslims and Christians are found 
in large numbers in the Middle Belt.  In many areas of the 
Middle Belt, Muslim Fulani tend to be pastoralists while the 
Muslim Hausas and most Christian ethnic groups tend more 
toward farming or urban living. Consequently, it is often 
difficult to distinguish religious discrimination and tension 
from economic and land use competition or ethnic and regional 
discrimination.  Religious tensions underscored what were 
predominantly ethnic confrontations throughout the year. 
 
 
The crisis in Kaduna in 2000 was the first major 
Muslim-Christian conflict during Obasanjo's tenure. Estimates 
of the number of persons killed range from 1,000 to 1,500. 
Following the 2000 violence in Kaduna (see 2000 country 
report), the Government sponsored dialog among the state's 
different religious and ethnic groups which helped to 
significantly reduce the level of inter-religious tension and 
violence in 2001.  For example, in October, when two small 
churches caught fire in Kaduna city, Christian and Muslim 
neighbors helped extinguish the fires, and the state 
government promised funds to repair them.  However, in 
November, several people were killed in southern Kaduna state 
due to a rivalry between two local leaders that intensified 
when expanded Shari'a was formally implemented in the state. 
 
 
In early April in Osun State, mobs lynched 12 visiting 
Evangelical Christians belonging to the Brotherhood of Christ 
(see Section 1.a.). 
 
 
On May 22, Christian and Muslim youths clashed in the town of 
Kumo over the introduction of Shari'a law; approximately 25 
persons were injured. 
 
 
In June there were unconfirmed reports that Muslim youths set 
four churches on fire in Dutse, Jigawa state. 
 
 
In November Muslim youths reportedly vandalized eight 
churches in Osogbo, Osun state, and four churches in Ilorin, 
Kwara state; one person reportedly was killed in Osogbo. 
 
 
In early September, 2,300 persons were killed in interethnic 
violence that split along religious lines in Jos.  Between 
10,000 and 15,000 persons were displaced by the violence (see 
Section 2.d).  The appointment of an ethnic Hausa to the 
chairmanship of a local Poverty Alleviation Program increased 
tensions, which accompanied the earlier violence between 
Christian Sayewa and Musim Hausa in Tafawa Balewa, Bauchi, 
only 60 kilometers away.  There also were reports of summary 
executions of Hausa in outlying villages.  Approximately 80 
percent of the victims in Jos were Hausa Muslims, who 
constitute a significant minority in Jos.  The military was 
able to restore order, but thousands of Hausa fled Plateau 
state for Kaduna, Kano, Jigawa, and Bauchi states.  This 
conflict appears to have been primarily ethnic.  Christians 
of different ethnic groups reportedly attacked each other, 
and Yoruba Muslims joined in targeting their Hausa 
co-religionists. 
 
 
On October 12, 600 to 1,000 Muslims peacefully demonstrated 
in Kano against U.S. and allied air strikes against 
Afghanistan.  Several hours after the demonstration, two 
small churches were burned.  The following morning, a mob of 
predominantly Hausa youth attacked shopkeepers and looted 
shops in city's major market.  During the riots, 100 persons 
were killed.  The military was called in to restore order. 
Two churches and three mosques reportedly were burned during 
the fighting.  After order was restored, Governor Kwankwaso 
held a series of meetings with local ethnic and religious 
leaders to stem further outbreaks and to rebuild trust 
between the communities. 
 
 
In November youths vandalized eight churches in Osun state 
and four churches in Ilorin, Kwara state. 
 
 
There were no developments in the following 2000 incidents of 
inter-religious violence: 18 persons were killed in the 
Bambam community of southern Gombe state when Christians 
attacked Muslims; approximately 200 persons were killed in 
Nayari, Kaduna state, when Christians rioted after finding 
the body of a person whom they believed to have been a 
Christian killed by Muslims; 1 person was killed in Borno 
state following an argument over the location of a church; 1 
church was burned and 2 were vandalized in Sokoto following a 
pro-Shari'a rally by university students. 
 
 
National/Racial/Ethnic Minorities 
 
 
The country's population is ethnically diverse, and consists 
of more than 250 groups, many of which speak distinct primary 
languages and are concentrated geographically.  There is no 
majority ethnic group.  The four largest ethnic groups are 
the Hausa and Fulani of the north, the Yoruba of the 
southwest, and the Igbos of the southeast. The Ijaw of the 
South Delta area are the fifth largest group, followed by the 
Kanuri in the far northeast and Tiv in the Middle Belt. 
 
 
The Constitution prohibits ethnic discrimination by the 
Government.  In addition the Constitution mandates that the 
composition of the federal, state, and local governments and 
their agencies, as well as the conduct of their affairs, 
reflect the diverse character of the country in order to 
promote national unity and loyalty.  This provision was 
designed as a safeguard against domination of the Government 
by persons from a few states or ethnic and sectional groups. 
These provisions were included in response to previous 
domination of the Government and the armed forces by 
northerners and Muslims.  The Government is an example of 
this diversity.  Obasanjo is a Yoruba from the southwest, the 
Vice President is a northerner, and the Senate President is 
an Igbo. The Government attempted to balance key positions 
and deputy positions among the different regions and ethnic 
groups. The Senate used its oversight role to reject many of 
Obasanjo's ambassadorial appointments and insisted on three 
nominees from each state for each appointment. The political 
parties also engaged in "zoning," the practice of rotating 
positions within the party among the different regions and 
ethnicities to ensure that each region and ethnicity is given 
adequate representation.  Nonetheless, claims of 
marginalization by members of southern minority groups and 
Igbos continued.  The ethnic groups of the Niger Delta, in 
particular, continued their calls for high-level 
representation on petroleum issues and within the security 
forces.  Northern Muslims, who lost previously held positions 
within the military hierarchy, accused the Government of 
favoring Christians from the Middle Belt for those positions. 
 Traditional linkages continued to impose considerable 
pressure on individual government officials to favor their 
own ethnic groups for important positions and patronage. 
 
 
Societal discrimination on the basis of ethnicity is 
practiced widely by members of all ethnic groups and is 
evident in private sector hiring patterns, de facto ethnic 
segregation of urban neighborhoods, and a continuing paucity 
of marriages across major ethnic and regional lines.  There 
is a long history of tension among the diverse ethnic groups 
(see Sections 1.a. and 2.c.) 
 
 
There were significant interethnic clashes in Delta, Anambra, 
Bauchi, Plateau, Nassarawa, Rivers, Benue, Bayelsa, Akwa 
Ibom, Cross River, and Ebonyi States during the year.  Often 
the competition was between local "indigene" and "immigrant" 
ethnic groups. Thousands of people were killed and injured 
during such fighting (see Sections 1.a.) 
 
 
Section 6 Worker Rights 
 
 
The Right of Association 
 
 
The Constitution provides all citizens with the right to 
assemble freely and associate with other persons, and to form 
or belong to any trade union or other association for the 
protection of their interests; however, several statutory 
restrictions on the right of association and on trade unions 
remained in effect despite repeals of parts of the 
military-era antilabor decrees.  Only a single central labor 
federation, the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) is legally 
permitted, and the Government recognizes only 29 trade 
unions.  Trade unions must be registered formally by the 
Federal Government, and a minimum of 50 workers is required 
to form a trade union.  Nonmanagement senior staff are 
prevented from joining trade unions, and senior staff 
associations are denied a seat on the National Labor Advisory 
Council (NLAC).  The ILO Committee of Experts repeatedly has 
cited several of these restrictions.  The Government has not 
amended the laws, but it has conducted discussions with 
senior staff associations concerning formal recognition and 
their accession to the NLAC. 
Workers, except members of the armed forces and employees 
designated as essential by the Government, may join trade 
unions.  Essential workers include members of the armed 
forces and government employees in the police, customs, 
immigration, prisons, federal mint, central bank, and 
telecommunications sectors.  Employees working in a 
designated export processing zone (EPZ) may not join a union 
until 10 years after the start-up of the enterprise (see 
Section 6.b.). 
 
 
According to figures provided by the NLC, total union 
membership is approximately 4 million.  Less than 10 percent 
of the total work force is organized.  With the exception of 
a small number of workers engaged in commercial food 
processing, the agricultural sector, which employs the bulk 
of the work force, is not organized.  The informal sector, 
and small and medium enterprises, largely remain unorganized. 
 
 
Since 1978 the Government has mandated a single trade union 
structure with service and industrial unions grouped under 
the NLC.  The trade union movement is composed of two groups 
consisting of junior and senior staff workers.  The single 
trade union structure and segregation of junior from senior 
staff were intended to dilute the bargaining strength of 
workers.  Junior staff workers--primarily blue-collar 
workers--are organized into the 29 industrial unions, which 
are affiliated with the NLC; 21 associations make up the 
Senior Staff Associations of Nigeria (SESCAN), which renamed 
themselves the Trade Union Congress (TUC).  The TUC has a 
claimed membership of approximately 400,000 to 600,000.  The 
TUC, composed primarily of white-collar workers, has not been 
sanctioned officially by the Government, and is prohibited by 
statute from affiliating with the NLC.  While the TUC lacks a 
seat on the NLAC, the Government allowed the TUC to operate 
openly. However, in 1999 SESCAN, now the TUC, began to lay 
the legal and political groundwork to achieve government 
recognition, which will require formal action by the National 
Assembly. 
 
 
In August 2000, the Government decertified the maritime 
workers union on the grounds that the union had not scheduled 
internal elections in accordance with its charter's 
requirement. The Government then issued directives requiring 
maritime workers to register with specific contracting firms. 
 As a result this historically powerful union was weakened; 
however, it continued to challenge the Government's action 
during the year. 
 
 
Workers have the right to strike; however, certain essential 
workers are required to provide advance notice of a strike. 
There were several strikes by such personnel during the year. 
 In May and June, both doctors and university professors went 
on strike over wages, working conditions, and government 
investment in infrastructure.  Both strikes were resolved 
following lengthy negotiations with government ministries. 
During the year, the Government committed itself to budgeting 
greater funds for development of the nation's health and 
education infrastructures. 
 
 
During the year, there were smaller strikes over the 
increased use of contract labor and the lack of indigenous 
workers in management positions in the oil sector, 
particularly in the Niger Delta.  The National Union of 
Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) and its senior 
staff counterpart Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff 
Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) particularly are concerned 
about the increasing use of contract labor and the number of 
indigenous workers in management positions. 
 
 
In 2000 Lagos public sector workers went on strike to protest 
the state government's refusal to pay a higher minimum wage. 
A compromise package offered by the state was accepted by the 
workers; however, the local union leadership continued to 
press for more pay at year's end. 
 
 
There are no laws prohibiting retribution against strikers 
and strike leaders, but strikers who believe that they are 
victims of unfair retribution may submit their cases to the 
industrial arbitration panel (IAP), with the approval of the 
Labor Ministry.  Lagos State Government terminated an 
important local union leader in Lagos, ostensibly for 
nonperformance, following an extended strike by state 
government workers.  The IAP's decisions are binding on 
parties but may be appealed to the Nigerian Industrial Court 
(NIC).  In practice the decisions of these bodies 
infrequently carry the force of law.  Union representatives 
describe the arbitration process as cumbersome and 
time-consuming, and an ineffective deterrent to retribution 
against strikers. 
 
 
The ILO cited a number of restrictions on freedom of 
association. These include: Requiring all registered labor 
unions to affiliate with a single central labor federation 
(the Nigerian Labor Congress); establishing a minimum of 50 
workers to form a trade union; providing for the possibility 
of compulsory arbitration; giving the registrar broad powers 
to supervise trade union accounts; and giving the Government 
discretionary power to revoke the certification of a trade 
union due to overriding public interest. 
 
 
The NLC and labor unions are free to affiliate with 
international bodies; however, prior approval from the 
Minister is required.  The NLC has affiliated with the 
Organization of African Trade Unions. 
 
 
b. The Right to Organize and Bargain Collectively 
 
 
The labor laws provide for both the right to organize and the 
right to bargain collectively between management and trade 
unions.  Collective bargaining occurs throughout the public 
sector and the organized private sector.  Complaints of 
antiunion discrimination may be brought to the Ministry of 
Labor for mediation, conciliation, and resolution.  The Labor 
Minister may refer unresolved disputes to the IAP and the NIC 
(see Section 6.a.).  Union officials have questioned the 
effectiveness and independence of the NIC in view of its 
refusal in previous years to resolve various disputes 
stemming from the Government's failure to fulfill contract 
provisions for public sector employees.  The NIC was 
reconstituted this year with several new members, including a 
formerly imprisoned trade unionist, Milton Dabibi.  Union 
leaders have criticized the arbitration system's dependence 
on the Labor Minister's referrals.  The Labor Minister 
typically makes few referrals to the IAP. The IAP and NIC 
were active following the Government's appointment of new 
members; however, both suffered from a lack of resources. 
 
 
A worker under a collective bargaining agreement may not 
participate in a strike unless his union complied with  the 
requirements of the law, which include provisions for 
mandatory mediation and for referral of the dispute to the 
Government.  The law allows the Government discretion to 
refer the matter to a labor conciliator, arbitration panel, 
board of inquiry, or the National Industrial Court.  The law 
forbids any employer from granting a general wage increase to 
its workers without prior government approval.  However, in 
practice the law does not appear to be enforced effectively; 
strikes, including in the public sector, are widespread (see 
Section 1.a) and private sector wage increases generally are 
not submitted to the Government for prior approval. 
 
 
The Government retains broad legal authority over labor 
matters and often intervenes in disputes seen to challenge 
key political or economic objectives.  However, the labor 
movement is increasingly active on issues affecting workers. 
During the year, the NLC spoke out on economic reform, fuel 
price deregulation, privatization, globalization, tariffs, 
corruption, contract workers, and political issues. 
 
 
The Government directed each state administration to 
establish its own salary structure based on its ability to 
pay and in accord with the national minimum wage (see Section 
6.e.).  During the year, many state governments found it 
difficult to pay the approximately $60 (6,500 naira) monthly 
minimum wage to their employees, without massive layoffs or 
the elimination of "ghost workers" who appear on the 
employment rolls but not on the job. 
An EPZ remains under development in Calabar, Cross River 
State, and a second EPZ is planned for Port Harcourt, Rivers 
State.  Workers and employers in such zones are subject to 
national labor laws, which provide for a 10-year amnesty on 
trade unions from the startup of an enterprise.  The law 
provides that there shall be no strikes or lockouts for a 
period of 10 years following the commencement of operations 
within a zone.  In addition the law allows the Export 
Processing Zones Authority to handle the resolution of 
disputes between employers and employees instead of workers' 
organizations or unions.  The 1992 Export Processing Zones 
Decree has been criticized by The ILO has criticized the law 
for not allowing any unauthorized person to enter any EPZ. 
c. Prohibition of Forced or Compulsory Labor 
 
 
The law prohibits forced or compulsory labor; however, 
trafficking in women and children for purposes of 
prostitution and forced labor is a problem (see Section 
6.f.), and enforcement of the law is not effective. 
 
 
The Government does not specifically prohibit forced and 
bonded labor by children; however, the law prohibits forced 
or compulsory labor, a prohibition that extends to children. 
Employment of persons under 18 years of age generally is 
prohibited, except for agriculture and domestic work.  , 
There were occasional reports of forced child labor, 
including child slavery rings operating between Nigeria and 
neighboring countries where children are trafficked to work 
as domestic servants (see Sections 5 and 6.f).  The reports 
suggest that Nigerian children are trafficked to other 
African countries for domestic and agricultural work. 
Children from neighboring countries also are trafficked to 
Nigeria for work as domestic servants. 
 
 
d. Status of Child Labor Practices and Minimum Age for 
   Employment 
 
 
The law prohibits employment of children less than 15 years 
of age in commerce and industry and restricts other child 
labor to home-based agricultural or domestic work.  The law 
states that children may not be employed in agricultural or 
domestic work for more than 8 hours per day.  The Decree 
allows the apprenticeship of youths at the age of 13 under 
specific conditions. 
 
 
Economic hardship leads high numbers of children in 
commercial activities aimed at enhancing meager family 
income.  The ILO estimates that upward of 12 million children 
between the ages 10 and 14 (25 percent of all children) are 
employed in some capacity. Children frequently are employed 
as beggars, hawkers, and bus conductors in urban areas.  The 
use of children as domestic servants is common. 
 
 
Private and government initiatives to stem the growing 
incidence of child employment continue but have been 
ineffective.  UNICEF operates programs that remove young 
girls from the street hawking trade and relocate them to 
informal educational settings.  UNICEF reported that despite 
the narrow focus on young girls, the program only began to 
address the problem during the year.  In conjunction with the 
ILO, the Government formulated a national program of action 
in support of child rights, survival, protection, 
development, and participation.  In August a formal agreement 
establishing the program was signed by the ILO and the Labor 
Ministry; however, the program had not shown any results by 
year's end due to logistical problems and changing personnel 
in the Ministry. On October 16 and 17, the Senate Committee 
on Women's Affairs and Youth held public hearings to 
investigate child labor, sex trading, and other forms of 
exploitation to which minors are subjected. 
 
 
The Labor Ministry has an inspections department whose major 
responsibilities include enforcement of legal provisions 
relating to conditions of work and protection of workers. 
However, there are less than 50 inspectors for the entire 
country, and the Ministry conducts inspections only in the 
formal business sector, in which the incidence of child labor 
is not significant. 
 
 
According to an ILO statement in 1998, and data from UNICEF, 
the incidence of trafficking in children for prostitution is 
growing (see Sections 6.c. and 6.f.). 
 
 
e. Acceptable Conditions of Work 
 
 
The law sets a minimum wage, which is reviewed infrequently. 
Private sector minimum wages increased during the year to 
match the 2000 increase in the public sector wage scale; 
however, real private sector wages greatly exceed the minimum 
wage.  In the first half of the year, the national police 
were  not paid for several months. 
 
 
In 2000 the minimum wage increased to $75 (7,500 naira) per 
month for federal workers and to $55 to $65 (5,000 to 6,500 
naira) per month for state employees.  Private employers in 
the formal sector track the public sector wage scale.  Along 
with the many allowances that are paid, the increase appears 
sufficient to support a decent standard of living.  However, 
many government agencies were slow to pay the new wage scale, 
and all federal salaries were frozen for 3 months during the 
summer, pending a census of government employees.  Ghost 
workers (who appear on the employment rolls but not on the 
job) remained a significant problem that was not addressed 
fully during the year.  The Government increased federal 
salaries in 2000 without adequate consultations with state 
governments, whose employees demanded similar wages; as a 
result, several state governments maintained that they could 
not afford to pay this wage (see Section 6.b.).  The issue of 
the minimum wage caused several labor disruptions throughout 
the year, and remains unresolved in several states. 
 
 
The law calls for a 40-hour workweek, 2 to 4 weeks annual 
leave, and overtime and holiday pay.  There is no law 
prohibiting excessive compulsory overtime.  The law also 
establishes general health and safety provisions, some of 
which are aimed specifically at young or female workers.  It 
requires that the factory division of the Ministry of Labor 
and Employment inspect factories for compliance with health 
and safety standards; however, this agency is greatly, lacks 
basic resources and training, and consequently neglects 
safety oversight of many enterprises, particularly 
construction sites and other nonfactory work.  The Ministry 
often fails to reimburse inspectors for expenses incurred in 
traveling to inspection sites, and safety oversight of many 
enterprises often is neglected.  The law requires employers 
to compensate injured workers and dependent survivors of 
those killed in industrial accidents.  The Labor Ministry, 
which is charged with enforcement of these laws, has been 
ineffective in identifying violators.  The Government has 
failed to act on various ILO recommendations since 1991 to 
update its program on inspection and accident reporting.  The 
Labor Decree does not provide workers with the right to 
remove themselves from dangerous work situations without loss 
of employment. 
 
 
 
 
f. Trafficking in Persons 
 
 
No law makes trafficking in persons a crime.  There is an 
active and growing market for trafficking in women and 
children within the region and to Europe.  The country is a 
source, transit, and destination country. 
 
 
The full nature and scope of the trade remained unknown, but 
immigration and police officials throughout Europe continued 
to report a steady flow of Nigerian women lured and sold into 
prostitution in Europe, particularly Italy, the Netherlands, 
Spain, and the Czech Republic.  Italian authorities deported 
several hundred sex workers to Nigeria during the year. Other 
European countries deported smaller numbers of Nigerian 
trafficking victims.  Nigerian Interpol claimed that some 
women entered the sex trade independently, were not 
controlled by syndicates, and were economically motivated. 
However, Human Rights Watch reported that according women's 
rights organizations, hundreds of women migrated to Europe in 
response to job offers as domestic workers or waitresses. 
Upon arrival many were forced into prostitution in order to 
pay off debts.  In addition there is evidence that Nigerian 
crime syndicates may use indebtedness, threats of beatings 
and rape, physical injury to the victim's family, arrest, and 
deportation to persuade those forced into sex work from 
attempting to escape or from contacting police and NGO's for 
assistance. 
 
 
In January there were reports that hundreds of Nigerian girls 
are sold into sexual slavery and trafficked through England. 
The girls reportedly request asylum at British airports and 
are taken into the care of social services or foster care.  A 
few weeks later the girls disappear and reportedly are 
trafficked to European countries, in particular Italy, where 
they are forced into prostitution. 
 
 
During the year, there was at least one documented case of 
trafficking in children reported in Lagos; however, incidents 
of trafficking in Lagos and other major Nigerian cities are 
suspected to be commonplace. Child traffickers receive a 
monthly payment from the employer, part of which is to be 
remitted to the parents of the indentured child servant. 
Traffickers take advantage of a cultural tradition of 
"fostering," under which it is acceptable to send a child to 
live and work with a more prosperous family in an urban 
center in return for educational and vocational advancement. 
Often the children in these situations only work and do not 
get any formal education; however, families who employ 
children as domestic servants also pay their school fees. 
They are forced to serve as domestics or to become street 
hawkers selling nuts, fruits, or other items.  There were 
credible reports that poor families sell their daughters into 
marriage as a means of supplementing their income (see 
Section 5). 
According to ILO reports, there is an active and extensive 
trade in child laborers, some of whom are trafficked to 
Cameroon, Gabon, Benin, and Equatorial Guinea to work in 
agricultural enterprises.  Other children are coerced into 
prostitution (see Section 5).  Authorities also have 
identified a trade route for traffickers of children for 
labor through Katsina and Sokoto to the Middle East and East 
Africa.  The eastern part of Nigeria and some southern states 
such as Cross Rivers and Akwa Ibom have been the sites of 
trafficking of children for labor and, in some cases, human 
sacrifice.  The country remains a destination for the 
trafficking of Togolese children. 
 
 
According to the Women Trafficking and Child Labor 
Eradication Foundation, an average of 60 Nigerian girls and 
women are repatriated every month. According to Titi 
Abubakar, the founder of WOTCLEF, many trafficking victims 
were involved in commercial sex, begging, menial jobs, or 
forced marriages 
 
 
The Government has conducted few investigations into the 
alleged involvement of government officials in trafficking; 
however, allegations of such involvement is widespread. Some 
returnees have alleged that immigration officials actively 
connive with syndicates; however, there were no arrests of 
immigration officials for trafficking offenses during the 
year. 
 
 
Draft legislation was under review in the National Assembly 
that would make trafficking a crime; however, no action was 
taken on it by year's end. There is government and societal 
acknowledgement that trafficking in women is a continuing 
problem, particularly to Europe.  Police attempts to stem the 
trafficking of persons are inadequate and frequently focus on 
the victims of trafficking, who often are subjected to 
lengthy detention and public humiliation upon repatriation. 
Traffickers were identified and punished in only a few cases. 
 Awareness campaigns, often conducted by spouses of prominent 
politicians or NGO's, only recently have begun to garner 
widespread attention.  There are few statistics available to 
determine the success of antitrafficking campaigns.  The 
development of a reliable statistical base for assessing the 
child trafficking problem began under ILO auspices.  The 
Nigerian national program of the ILO-IPEC's regional 
trafficking program began in earnest in November 2001, after 
the ILO-IPEC completed an assessment of trafficking in 
Nigeria.  The regional and Nigeria programs are funded 
completely by the U.S. Department of Labor. 
 
 
In one of the few cases of prosecution for trafficking, Bisi 
Dan Musa, a prominent Lagos businesswoman and wife of a 
former presidential candidate, was arrested and charged with 
19 counts of "child stealing" and "slave dealing;" 16 
children between the ages of 1 and 4 reportedly were found in 
her custody.  Her trial is ongoing. 
 
 
In August 33 Nigerian women and children were repatriated 
from Conakry, Guinea, following the personal intervention of 
President Obasanjo.  According to U.N. officials, trafficking 
agents offered the women between $184 and $1,802 (20,000 to 
200,000 naira) and promised good jobs.  Guinean authorities 
reportedly arrested 15 Nigerian trafficking suspects in the 
case, including a former police commissioner of Edo State; at 
year's end, the they were extradited to Nigeria in October 
and at year's end were being tried by the Federal High Court. 
 
 
On August 12, a Nigerian man was detained in Sokoto state for 
the alleged trafficking of 10 girls between the ages of 10 
and 16.  One of the girls reportedly said the man was taking 
them to work abroad in hairdressing salons. 
Jeter