Community relations in military opreations in Nigeria: Human rights in perspectives

Abstract

This article is concerned with community relations in military operations in Nigeria. The article finds that interaction between the military and the civilian population is inevitable both in times of peace and during conflicts. Also, in any of these circumstances, the interaction requires and or results in the use of force or arms to achieve the goals of the operations. Consequently, human rights are violated in the process. This article thus seeks to interrogate derogation and limitation of human rights on the premise of national security, public safety and order as the arguments for the justification for violations of the rights during military operations and argues that a balance must be found between derogation and limitation of the rights on the one hand and the respect for and protection of the enjoyment of the right and freedoms on the other hand. The article thus recommends the integration of human rights into military law and training of commissioned and non commissioned officers in the Nigeria Military.