BETWEEN IMPUNITY AND REMEDY: ANALYZING SECURITY FORCE ABUSES AND CHALLENGES IN ACCESSING DOMESTIC JUSTICE PLATFORMS IN ADAMAWA STATE

Abstract

The study examined the between impunity and remedy: analyzing security force abuses and challenges in accessing domestic justice platforms. In Adamawa State, one of the states where the impact of the Boko Haram conflict is profound, there is a pressing need to investigate the dynamics between civilian victims and the judicial mechanisms intended to address human rights violations. The following objectives were adopted to guide the study: examine the nature of Human Rights violations committed against civilians victims by Security forces in communities affected by Boko Haram insurgency in Adamawa State; identify the challenges of access to justice platforms for the civilian victims of human rights violations perpetuated by security forces. The study is centered on restorative justice theory as proposed by Howard Zehr in 1990. Based on the population of the study, 400 sample was derived using the Taro Yamane formula with a standard margin of error (e) of 0.05 with corresponding to a 95% confidence level. 5 percent (20 respondents) of this 400 formed the respondents for KII. Purposive sampling technique was adopted in selecting informed respondents which includes the residents of the LGAs. The study developed instrument for data collection. The questionnaires titled “Access to Justice for Civilian Victims of Human Right Violations Questionnaire” (AJCVHRVQ). Using SPSS version 20, the data collected for the study were analyzed using mean and standard deviation to answer each of the research questions. The study discovered that the security forces have been accused of committing serious human rights violations. These include killing or injuring civilians without due process, arresting or detaining people without evidence, and carrying out forced disappearances. Detainees have faced abuse, degrading conditions, and psychological harm. Security forces have also restricted freedoms of speech, assembly, and association, and targeted individuals based on ethnicity, religion, political beliefs, gender, or age. The study found that access to justice platforms for victims of human rights violations by security forces face significant challenges. These include lack of awareness of available remedies, inadequate legal resources, and limited access to legal representation. Corruption, bias, and overprotection of offenders by police and military hierarchies undermine accountability, while fear of retaliation, stigma, and community pressure discourage victims from coming forward. Complicated legal procedures, bureaucratic delays, lack of evidence, and difficulty in identifying perpetrators further hinder justice, allowing abuses to persist. The study therefore recommends that there is a need to create an independent court with judges to try security force crimes in Adamawa and surrounding states,Provide free transport and protection for victims/witnesses, and include a reparations fund. Leveraging on digital infrastructure, there is a need to develop one easy app such with offline-friendly, in Hausa, Fulfulde, and English, where victims can send voice notes, photos, or short messages about abuses, track their case, and get connected to free lawyers and counsellors. Train community paralegals in every ward to help people use it.