AN APPRAISAL OF THE LEGAL NEXUS BETWEEN NATIONAL SECURITY AND THE PROTECTION OF HUMAN RIGHTS STANDARDS IN NIGERIA

Abstract

Where there is insecurity or security challenge, the rights of the people usually suffer a lot of neglect and abuse.This usually occurs where the government and the security agencies make attempts to fight the sources or situationscausing the insecurity or the challenges. National security and national wellbeing which include the properrecognition, enforcement and protection of human rights are two sides of a coin. Insecurity hampers the availmentof human rights and the needed environment for those whose rights are abused or likely to be abused to gain accessto the facilities where they can ventilate their grievances and possibly have some redress. Most State actors alsocapitalize on the breakdown or absence of security to commit abuses on the rights of people they should protect,hence, the need for a study of the relationship between national security and human rights standards in Nigeriaespecially at this time where there is near total collapse of the security architecture in the country. It is the findingof this work that governments and their agencies believe and function in ways that clearly show that, for there tobe national security, human rights must be negligently compromised; hence the high level of abuse of human rightswhile they purport to be fighting insecurity. We recommend that government at all level must at all times actproactively to prevent the breakdown of law and order and other vices that may result in national insecurity bearingin mind that such breakdown usually have negative effects n human rights.