A significant number of victims have come forward to seek justice at the ongoing People’s Tribunal on Human Rights Violations and Environmental Injustice in Port Harcourt, Rivers State. The three-day event, which opened on Monday, November 17, 2025, has already received over 15 petitions detailing harrowing accounts of abuse and neglect.
A Platform for the Unheard
The tribunal, organized by the Social Development Integrated Centre (Social Action) in partnership with the Rosa Luxemburg Foundation and the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), was established to confront the pervasive culture of impunity, particularly within the Niger Delta region. It provides a vital platform for survivors of police brutality, arbitrary detention, and severe environmental degradation to testify before a panel of esteemed jurists, academics, and civil society leaders.
On the first day alone, seven of the petitions were heard, revealing systemic failures. The cases span a range of issues, including domestic violence and the plight of farmers and fishermen whose livelihoods have been destroyed by oil exploration activities, leaving them demanding compensation.
Conventional Justice Has Failed
Isaac Boti, the Programme Coordinator of Social Action, articulated the tribunal's necessity. He lamented that conventional justice mechanisms have repeatedly failed ordinary Nigerians. “Victims remain unheard,” Boti stated. “Their pursuit of redress is blocked by institutional inertia, weak enforcement of laws and socio-economic barriers that make justice seem impossible for the average Nigerian.”
He emphasized that the proceedings, while symbolic, are designed to yield concrete outcomes. The tribunal specifically aims to assist those who are too impoverished to navigate the country's cumbersome and expensive legal system. “Because we recognise that they are not able to prove their cases through conversational means as a result of limited resources, bureaucratic bottlenecks and cumbersome processes, we decided to bring the tribunal down to the community,” Boti explained.
Legal Community and Victims Speak Out
Emmanuel John, the Vice Chairman of the Port Harcourt branch of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), underscored the importance of the initiative. He affirmed that the rule of law is absent without justice, which is why the NBA partnered with Social Action to help the indigent seek redress against powerful individuals and corporations.
One poignant case was presented by Barineme Lekia, a native of Khana Local Council and a victim of marital abuse. She appealed to the tribunal for justice and guidance on how to be compensated and have her marriage dissolved after facing ill-treatment from her husband due to their lack of children. “They should call him to settle me and do the necessary things to dissolve the marriage,” she pleaded.
The event has drawn a wide array of stakeholders, with representatives from the International Federation of Women Lawyers (FIDA), the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP), and the Public Complaints Commission in attendance. Observers from key security agencies, including the Nigeria Police Force (NPF), the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), and the Nigerian Army, were also present, highlighting the broad relevance of the tribunal's work.
