Uba Sani, governor of Kaduna state, has advised law enforcement agencies to prioritise non-violent methods in carrying out their duties.
Speaking in Abuja on Thursday during an International Human Rights Day event organised by the National Human Rights Commission of Nigeria (NHRC), Hadiza Balarabe, the deputy governor of Kaduna, who represented Sani, said force must never be used vindictively against individuals who offer no resistance.
Balarabe said when force becomes unavoidable, it must be applied reasonably and in line with the circumstances.
“This means that violent or potentially violent suspects should be arrested or killed only in very extreme cases, where using force or lethal force is the only option left to stop an imminent risk to life,” she said.
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The deputy governor noted that the right to dignity is guaranteed under section 34 of the 1999 Constitution, which provides that no Nigerian shall be subjected to torture, inhuman or degrading treatment, slavery, servitude, or forced labour.
The right, she added, is also protected under the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights, and other statutes.
The deputy governor noted that despite these provisions, violations of human dignity remain widespread, particularly among state and federal law enforcement agencies.
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According to her, the key challenge is “striking a balance between the protection of the right to human dignity on the one hand and the use of proportional force by law enforcement agencies on the other.”
She described proportional force as a legal safeguard against abuses by state actors, warning that exceeding this threshold becomes a violation of the rights it is meant to protect.
“Conversely, the use of disproportional force may lead to violations of the right to human dignity and other fundamental rights, including the right to life and personal liberty,” she added.
The deputy governor lamented that no law explicitly defines what constitutes proportional force, noting that each case must be assessed based on its peculiarities.
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She said the Kaduna state government has adopted a “carrot and stick” strategy that balances non-kinetic peace-building efforts with kinetic military responses when necessary.
While the non-kinetic approach is suited for long-term peace processes, the kinetic approach, she explained, is used for immediate counter-insurgency operations where armed groups refuse dialogue.
“This strategy has proven effective and successful in the state,” she said.
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