The CLEEN Foundation, a non-governmental organisation, has charged security personnel to respect the fundamental human rights of citizens during their operations.

CLEEN Foundation executive director, Peter Maduoma, gave the charge on Wednesday in Makurdi at a citizens’ engagement with security agencies in Benue.

Mr Maduoma said it was imperative that security personnel not jettison respect for human rights, even as they fight crime and criminality in society.

The executive director stated that violating others’ human rights in the name of security operations must stop, as this was the essence of the engagement: to bridge the trust gap between citizens and security agencies, particularly the police.

He said the second-quarter session focused on identifying community assets and relationship infrastructures that security agencies can leverage to deepen engagement with citizens, improve public safety, and strengthen community security.

According to him, the engagement is being done in the spirit of partnership, not confrontation, and it is not about who is right or wrong or “them versus us”.

“Policing is everyone’s responsibility, especially in terms of intelligence sharing, enforcement, and respect for human rights. That is the essence of this two-day meeting. CLEEN Foundation organised this programme with support from the Open Society Foundations. This is not a one-off engagement; it will continue quarterly this year and next year.

“Citizens must also continue to hold security agencies accountable in this regard. We believe this must be a continuous process. You do not achieve all desired results in one day.

“However, through consistency, we expect gradual improvement that will lead to a society with reduced criminality. Ultimately, our goal is to build a society where life and property are better protected and guaranteed,” he added.

(NAN)