International Human Rights Law and Nigeria’s Compliance Record: An Assessment

This study assesses Nigeria's compliance record with international human rights law instruments, including the African Charter on Human and Peoples' Rights, the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, and the Convention Against Torture, examining the gap between treaty commitments and domestic enforcement. Nigeria's human rights record since the return to democratic governance in 1999 presents a complex picture of constitutional guarantees coexisting with documented abuses by security forces, judicial delays, and custodial facility conditions that fall below international standards. Using a descriptive analytical design, the study reviews Nigeria's treaty body reports, Universal Periodic Review submissions, human rights commission reports, and secondary literature published between 2020 and 2024. The International Human Rights Law Framework and the Compliance Theory provide the analytical lenses. Findings reveal persistent gaps between treaty commitments and implementation, particularly with respect to the right to life, freedom from torture, and the right to a fair trial within a reasonable time. The Lekki Toll Gate shootings of October 2020 are examined as a case study of state violence and subsequent accountability failures. Recommendations include strengthening the National Human Rights Commission's independence and enforcement powers, and ratifying the Optional Protocol to the Convention Against Torture. Keywords: human rights, Nigeria, international law, SARS, treaty compliance.