Sani urges law enforcement agencies to prioritise non violent methods

Uba Sani of Kaduna State has urged law enforcement agencies to prioritise non violent methods in the discharge of their duties.

He has also stressed that force should only be applied when absolutely necessary and in a proportional manner.

Sani, who made the call at the International Human Rights Day event organised by the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), warned that the use of force must never be vindictive, discriminatory or applied against individuals who offer no resistance.

Represented by his Deputy, Dr Hadiza Balarabe, the Governor spoke on the theme: ‘Proportional Force and Respect for Human Dignity – A Dialogue in Governance’.

He said that when force becomes unavoidable, it should be used reasonably and strictly according to the circumstances.

“Violent or potentially violent suspects should be arrested or killed only in very extreme situations where force or lethal force is the only option left to stop an imminent risk to life,” he said.

Sani recalled that the 1999 Constitution, under Section 34, guarantees the right to dignity of the human person, which prohibits torture, inhuman or degrading treatment, slavery and forced labour.

He added that the right was further protected under the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights and other international statutes.

In spite of these provisions, he lamented that violations of human dignity remained widespread, particularly among state and federal law enforcement agencies.

He said the major challenge lied in balancing the protection of human dignity with the application of proportional force during law enforcement operations.

According to him, proportional force represents the legal threshold designed to prevent state actors from violating human dignity.

“When force exceeds the proportional threshold, it becomes a violation of the very rights and dignity it is meant to protect. Proportional force should protect, not conflict with, human dignity,” he said.

Sani said that disproportional force could lead to violations of other fundamental rights, including the right to life, personal liberty and freedom of movement.

The governor further observed that no law provides a precise definition of what constitutes proportional force, making it necessary to consider each case based on its peculiar circumstances.

Sani said his administration’s approach to tackling banditry and insecurity was rooted in the application of proportional force.

He explained that the state adopts a “carrot and stick” strategy that combines both kinetic and non-kinetic interventions, depending on the situation.

“While the kinetic approach is useful for immediate counter-insurgency action when bandits reject peace pacts, the non kinetic approach supports peace-building and long-term security.

$The strategy has proven effective in the state,” he added.