The Executive Secretary of the National Human Rights Commission, Tony Ojukwu, has called on the Federal Government to adopt a policy for the protection of civilians in Nigeria.
He said the government must do more in protecting the lives and property of Nigerians, especially those living within the conflict regions.
Ojukwu made this call on Sunday in Abuja while reacting to the killing of over 40 rice farmers in Borno State.
He described the killings as too many, adding that it was not only a great loss to Borno State but the entire country.
He said the commission was heartbroken to hear that people were killed while trying to fend for themselves and other people.
“There is an urgent need for the government to double its efforts in protecting the citizens, especially those who are unfortunate to find themselves in the volatile areas of the North-East that have been destroyed as a result of the operations of the insurgents,” he added.
Ojukwu, who said the commission has a monitoring team in the North-East, noted that the weekly report of the human rights monitoring exercise of the Internally Displaced Persons in Borno, Adamawa, and Yobe states showed an urgent need for the government to provide more security in these states.
The NHRC boss said the people, who are already ravaged by the atrocities of the insurgents, are now living in perpetual fear and tension.
“On the one hand, they cannot continue to live with pangs of hunger as they must look for food. They must be protected from being kidnapped or killed on their farmlands as they go in search of food,” he noted.