...says FG had adopted proactive approach to implementation of Int’l Humanitarian Law
The Vice President Kashim Shettima has reaffirmed Nigeria’s resolve to promote and protect human rights through constitutional guarantees and embedding the rights into security operations.
According to him, the nation was fully committed to international cooperation and to the universal application of International Humanitarian Law in every theatre of conflict.
Shettima, who stated this on Thursday in Abuja when he declared open the 2026 High-Level International Humanitarian Law Dialogue, said the administration of President Bola Tinubu has adopted a comprehensive response to tackle insecurity and address conflicts, including the combination of kinetic and non-kinetic measures.
“I wish to emphasise Nigeria’s unwavering determination to promote and protect human rights, while ensuring the effective implementation of International Humanitarian Law treaties. His Excellency, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, recognises that insecurity remains the greatest threat to peace and development.
“Accordingly, our government accords the highest priority to a comprehensive response that combines both kinetic and non-kinetic measures in addressing conflict,” he declared, pointing out that in achieving this, the administration has continued to evolve the nation’s legal frameworks in response to emerging realities.
As part of the evolution, Shettima recalled that the President recently appended his assent to the domestication of the African Union Kampala Convention in a bid to establish “a robust and context-specific legal framework for the protection and assistance of Internally Displaced Persons in Nigeria.”
The Vice President observed that the dialogue came at a more defining moment when Nigeria’s “shared humanity is under immense strain, and when the very laws meant to uphold order are too often treated as expendable inconveniences.”
Shettima noted that the realities have not spared Nigeria either, as the nation has continued to “confront persistent insurgency, terrorism, and other forms of violent conflict.
“Beyond the immediate toll of these hostilities, we are also managing the deeper, long-term strain they impose on our communities and institutions. It is precisely because of these experiences that Nigeria stands resolute in championing this global movement,” he added.
The Vice President further observed that while the dialogue was “convened as part of deliberate efforts to reinforce the enduring principles that govern the conduct of armed conflict, particularly the imperative of limiting harm in contemporary warfare,” it is also a moment to reflection and return “to the moral centre of International Humanitarian Law.”
The IHL, he said, exists to provide critical safeguards for human life when it is most vulnerable, just as he identified the approach, which he said was anchored in three non-negotiable pillars, including “the protection of civilian populations, the humane treatment of all persons affected by conflict, and the preservation of human dignity even in the most difficult circumstances.”
The Vice President noted that Nigeria has adopted a proactive approach to the implementation of International Humanitarian Law “through sustained military training, strengthened child protection protocols, the integration of IHL into academic curricula, accountability mechanisms for sexual violence, improved arms control systems, and comprehensive displacement frameworks.
“These efforts reflect a simple but powerful truth: humanitarian law must be lived, not merely legislated. At the heart of this national agenda lies our recognition that meaningful progress depends on strong partnerships across government, civil society, and international stakeholders, ensuring that IHL is translated from principle into practice,” he added.
