Eight Years On, Anti-Torture Act Remains Largely Ineffective as Citizens Suffer Abuse

Eight years after the Anti-Torture Act 2017 was signed into law to end police brutality, enforcement remains largely absent. Across police stations and detention centres, citizens continue to face dehumanisation, beatings, and torture, often with impunity.

Oseni Wasiu Adewale, a 52-year-old bus driver in Lagos, recalls how a routine evening turned into a nightmare when he was assaulted by a police officer known locally as “Spider.” After being hit on the leg with an iron rod, he spent a night in custody, was transferred to a task force office, and eventually sentenced to three weeks in Kirikiri Correctional Centre, leaving a severe, lasting injury.

Similarly, Kazeem Adeshina, a mechanic-turned-bus driver, spent 16 years in prison without trial after being wrongly arrested in Ogun State in 2008. He endured hand and leg restraints, extreme exposure to the sun, and watched a friend die in custody. His release in 2024, facilitated by civil society intervention, came too late to repair the damage to his family life.

Other victims include Khalid Aminu, arrested during the #EndBadGovernance protests in Kano, and Morufu Ajala from Ibadan, who spent two years in detention for a fabricated armed robbery charge. Their stories echo a broader pattern of systemic abuse across Nigeria.

The Anti-Torture Act, meant to criminalise torture, outlaw confessions obtained under duress, and enforce accountability, has largely existed only on paper. Experts point to gaps in enforcement, lack of citizen awareness, poor police training, and systemic impunity as barriers.

The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) reports that complaints of torture and rights violations remain high, with over 406,000 cases recorded in October 2025 alone. NHRC Executive Secretary Dr. Tony Ojukwu, SAN, stresses the need for objective monitoring, public education, and judicial activism to ensure the Act’s provisions are respected.

Civil society organisations such as Zarephath Aid and CRIVIFON have provided legal aid, rehabilitation, and post-release support, but activists warn that without systemic reform, torture will persist. Lawyers highlight that courts must actively enforce the Act and that law enforcement agencies must modernise interrogation techniques, reduce reliance on confessions, and be held accountable.

Human rights advocates emphasise that awareness creation, training of officers, and full institutional buy-in are essential for meaningful change. Until then, the Anti-Torture Act risks remaining a “toothless bulldog,” unable to protect the very citizens it was meant to shield.