RULAAC, Partners Launch Southeast Human Rights Bureau to Tackle Rights Abuses

The Rule of Law and Accountability Advocacy Centre (RULAAC), in partnership with the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), civil society organisations and development partners, has launched the Southeast Human Rights Bureau (SEHRB) to strengthen the monitoring and response to human rights violations across the five Southeast states.

The Bureau, inaugurated in Enugu on July 23, 2026, is the outcome of resolutions reached at the Southeast Stakeholders Summit on Peace and Security and Public Hearing on Human Rights Violations held in February 2025. Supported by the Ford Foundation, it will coordinate human rights advocacy, victim support, strategic litigation and accountability in the region.

Chairman of the launch, Very Rev. Monsignor Prof. Obiora Ike, described the Bureau as a major step towards advancing justice and the rule of law, while keynote speaker, Prof. Joy Ngozi Ezeilo, called for stronger institutional collaboration. RULAAC Executive Director, Okechukwu Nwanguma, said the initiative would close gaps in human rights monitoring and improve coordinated responses to abuses.

In a communiqué, participants decried rising cases of arbitrary arrests, torture, enforced disappearances, extrajudicial killings and attacks on journalists and human rights defenders, noting that women, children, persons with disabilities and displaced persons remain among the most vulnerable.

They resolved to establish a governance structure for the Bureau, create a regional database of human rights violations, deploy an Open-Source Reporting Platform and strengthen early warning and rapid response mechanisms. 

They also urged the Federal Government and Southeast state governments to support the Bureau and fully implement the Police Duty Solicitor Scheme to improve access to justice.