RULAAC Launches Southeast Human Rights Bureau as Ezeilo Calls for End to Impunity

The Rule of Law and Accountability Advocacy Centre (RULAAC) has launched the Southeast Human Rights Bureau, a regional initiative aimed at strengthening human rights protection, accountability and access to justice across the five states of Southeast Nigeria.

This is as a United Nations Special Rapporteur on Trafficking in Persons, Prof. Joy Ezeilo, called for a united regional response to rising human rights violations, declaring that "the era of documenting our suffering in silence is over."

The launch in Enugu, on Thursday, also featured the unveiling of an Open Source Reporting Platform for documenting human rights violations and the commencement of training for human rights defenders from Abia, Anambra, Ebonyi, Enugu and Imo states.

Speaking at the ceremony, RULAAC's Executive Director, Okechukwu Nwanguma, described the Bureau as the outcome of resolutions reached at the Southeast Stakeholders Summit on Peace and Security and Public Hearing on Human Rights Violations held about 17 months ago. 

Nwanguma said the Bureau would monitor and document human rights violations, facilitate access to justice, support early warning systems and promote collaboration among governments, security agencies and civil society organisations.

"The Southeast Human Rights Bureau is more than an institution. It is a declaration that human rights matter, that every victim deserves justice and that lasting peace can only flourish where fairness, dignity and the rule of law prevail," Nwanguma said.

He stressed that the Bureau would complement, rather than compete with, existing institutions through credible documentation, advocacy, strategic litigation and partnerships. 

He also disclosed that RULAAC had begun consultations with lawyers and human rights organisations on a proposed class action on behalf of victims of the notorious Tiger Base to seek justice and institutional reforms.

The Executive Director said the newly unveiled Open Source Reporting Platform would provide a secure digital system for documenting violations, preserving evidence and supporting evidence-based advocacy, while the training programme would equip human rights defenders with the skills to document abuses in line with national and international standards.

Delivering the keynote address, Prof. Ezeilo spoke on the theme, "Beyond Resistance: Mobilizing Regional Human Rights Protection for Peace, Justice, and Accountability in Southeast Nigeria."

She said that arbitrary arrests, prolonged detentions, enforced disappearances, excessive use of force, shrinking civic space and worsening insecurity had eroded public trust in institutions.

She described the Open Source Reporting Platform as a weapon of truth capable of exposing abuses through credible digital evidence, while cautioning that it must be deployed ethically and responsibly.

Ezeilo urged security agencies to uphold constitutional safeguards, insisting that effective security and respect for human rights are complementary. 

She also advocated the establishment of state police under strong legal safeguards, independent oversight and adequate funding to prevent abuse.

Charging participants at the training, she urged them to document violations with integrity, remain independent and avoid politicising human rights work.

The event brought together legal practitioners, civil society organisations, security agencies, development partners and human rights defenders from across the Southeast to strengthen regional collaboration on peace, justice and accountability.