The Police High Command has directed the Zonal Assistant Inspectors-General of Police and Commissioners of Police in the 36 states and the FCT to uphold the rights of Nigerians and foreigners alike.

This is contained in a statement issued by Mr Emmmanuel Ojukwu, the Force Public Relations Officer, an Acting Commissioner of Police in Abuja on Tuesday.

The statement said the Inspector-General of Police, Mr Suleiman Abba, gave the directive in commemoration of the 2014 International Human Rights Day.

It said that the directive was a further proof of the commitment of the force to respect the rights of all Nigerians.

The statement also said this informed the recent launch of the “Nigeria Police Force Human Rights Practice Manual”.

“The document was produced with support from Altus Global Alliance, Department of Foreign International Development (DFID), Cleen Foundation, Justice for All Nigeria and the Embassy of Switzerland, Abuja, “it said.

Abba, in the statement, said the manual was meant to expose all personnel of the force to practical and theoretical aspects of human rights.

It stated that the document was based on approaches to policing in conformity with global best practices.

The statement said that this had been followed up with the creation of a “Human Rights Desk’’ to be manned by officers in all the formations of the force.

It said that the officers were tasked with ensuring that rights of suspects were protected and cared for.

It said that this was to give fillip to the I-G’s commitment to “walk the talk in observance of the Human Rights of all Nigerians, irrespective of class, creed and tongue.”

According to the statement, these innovations conform with the 2014 Human Rights Day slogan, “Human Rights 365, Every Day is a Human Rights Day’’.

It said that they upheld the fundamental proposition in the Human Rights Declaration “that all humans, everywhere at all times are entitled to the full range of Human Rights’’.

The statement said the police high command had resolved to do all that was humanly possible to ensure that the rights were protected. (NAN)