Complicity On Torture

Solomon Adeleye made this Environmental Information Regulations request to Security Service
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Solomon Adeleye

Dear Security Service,
Reports on Endemic "Torture" in Nigeria: (26 May 2010):

Published by
Open Society Institute
400 West 59th Street
New York, NY 10019 USA

(1) SORROS FOUNDATION REPORT LINK:

http://www.soros.org/initiatives/justice...

Summary Findings from above report in quote

"Police in Nigeria commit extrajudicial killings, torture, rape, and extortion with relative impunity. Nigeria Police Force personnel routinely carry out summary executions of persons accused or suspected of crime; rely on torture as a principal means of investigation; commit rape of both sexes, with a particular focus on sex workers; and engage in extortion at nearly every opportunity.
The Nigerian government has acknowledged these problems and promised to address them in the past, but to date, abuses have continued with no real accountability. Nigeria's leadership must pay serious attention to police reform if it hopes to succeed in restoring public safety."

"We have found some shocking levels of violence and abuse. People are dying at the hands of police officers. Torture routinely takes the place of proper investigation, and rape seems to be commonplace when the police arrest vulnerable women. Overall, the police in Nigeria are more likely to commit crimes that to prevent them"

And

(2) AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL REPORT LINK:

http://thereport.amnesty.org/regions/afr...
&
http://thereport.amnesty.org/en/regions/...

Summary Findings from above report in quote:

"In Nigeria, hundreds of people are unlawfully killed every year by the police, and 2009 was no exception. These unlawful killings, many of which may be extra-judicial executions, and which occur in police stations, at road blocks or in the street, are hardly ever investigated. Those who live in poverty face a greater risk of being killed as they are not in a position to bribe police officers. The law in Nigeria provides more grounds for lethal force than those permitted by international human rights law and standards".
"The police continued to commit with impunity a wide range of human rights violations, including unlawful killings, torture and other ill-treatment, and enforced disappearances. Some people were targeted for failing to pay bribes. Several people were tortured to death in police detention. Prisoners were held in appalling conditions, many of whom had been awaiting trial for years. The government intimidated and harassed human rights defenders and journalists. Violence against women remained endemic, and abuses against people suspected of same-sex relationships continued. Forced evictions affected thousands of people across the country".

"Unlawful killings and enforced disappearances. Hundreds of people died at the hands of the police.
Many were unlawfully killed before or during arrest in the street or at roadblocks, or subsequently in police detention. Others were tortured to death in police detention. A large proportion of these unlawful killings may have constituted extrajudicial executions. Many other people disappeared after arrest. The families of such victims rarely receive redress and are often left with no answers. Most perpetrators remain unpunished. Although the police have mechanisms to receive complaints from the public, these complaints are often unprocessed. Police shot and injured Christian Onuigbo on 19 March while he was parking his car in Jiwa, Federal Capital Territory. He spent the night at Jiwa police station and was taken to hospital the next morning. Staff at the hospital refused to treat him without a police report, which was finally submitted at 4pm. Christian Onuigbo died the following day. Aneke Okorie, an Okada (motorcycle taxi) rider, was shot after he failed to pay a bribe to the police at a checkpoint in Emene, Enugu state, on 15 May. He died on the way to hospital. An eyewitness told Amnesty International that the police officer shot Aneke Okorie in the stomach and then hung his gun around Aneke Okorie’s neck to suggest that the police officer had been attacked by an armed robber. In September, the police officer was dismissed and prosecuted; he was awaiting trial at the end of the year. Stanley Adiele Uwakwe and Faka Tamunotonye Kalio were arrested on 10 May and brought to Old GRA detention centre in Port Harcourt. After several days, they were transferred to another police station, but
officers there told relatives that the men were not in detention. Unofficially, relatives were informed that the men had been killed by the police".

Also

(3) The UNITED NATIONS REPORT LINK: (HUMAN RIGHTS COUNCIL):

http://daccess-dds-ny.un.org/doc/UNDOC/G...

Summary findings in above report by the Special Rapporteur in Quote

"On the basis of an analysis of the legal system, visits to detention facilities, interviews with
detainees, the support of forensic medical evidence, and interviews with government officials,
lawyers and representatives of NGOs, the Special Rapporteur concluded that torture and
ill-treatment is widespread in police custody, and particularly systemic in the Criminal
Investigation Departments. In a vivid first-hand account, the circumstances surrounding the
deaths of the two persons personally interviewed by the Special Rapporteur - examples of
serious torture, disappearance and extrajudicial killing - illustrate and confirm the inability of the
current system to effectively investigate allegations, protect victims of serious human rights
violations, and bring law enforcement officials in Nigeria to account.

Please Answer the Following Questions Under The Freedom Of Information Act:

(1)What steps as a matter of policy does the UK government, including all intelligence and security agencies, take to ensure that torture and cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment are not used in any cases in which it has asked the Nigerian authorities for assistance or cooperation?
(2)What does the UK government do when it learns that torture or ill-treatment has occurred in a particular case?
(3)What conditions has the UK government put on continuing cooperation and assistance with Nigeria in counter-terror and law enforcement activities?
(4)Has the UK government ever conditioned continuing cooperation or assistance with Nigeria on an end to torture and other ill-treatment?
(5)Has the UK government ever withdrawn cooperation in a particular case or cases because of torture or ill-treatment?
(6)What is the policy and legal advice in force to ensure that UK officials and agents do not participate or acquiesce in, or are complicit in torture or ill-treatment?
(7) What steps has the Foreign and Commonwealth Office taken since the above reports came (26/06/2010) out to PROTECT BRITISH citizens travelling to Nigeria or Living in Nigeria
(8) The report by the UN, Amnesty International and Sorros Foundation is unanimous in finding that " torture and ill-treatment is widespread in police custody, and particularly systematic in the Criminal Investigation Departments" by the Police and Security services in Nigeria : Please clarify if this warning is synonymous in the warnings and Advice on the Information given to British Citizens on the Foreign and Commonwealth Website?

Yours Sincerely,

Solomon Adeleye

Ian Lister,

Mr Adeleye,

I note that you have submitted a request for information through
the website www.whatdotheyknow.com to the Security Service (MI5).

The Home Office is aware that the facility provided by this website
to contact the Security Service misdirects requests to third
parties. As such, your request will not have been received by the
Security Service. Whatdotheyknow.com is aware of this fault.

If you wish to contact the Security Service you can do so direct
via the "contact us" facility on their website at www.mi5.gov.uk.
Alternatively, you can write to them at The Enquiries Desk, PO Box
3255, London SW1P 1AE.

However, I should draw your attention to the fact that the Security
Service, whilst subject to the Environmental Information
Regulations, is exempt from the provisions of the Freedom of
Information Act (under which you are making your request).

Please note that I am responding on behalf of the Home Office and
that I am not an employee of the Security Service.

Regards,

Ian Lister Information Access Consultant Home Office

Solomon Adeleye

Dear Ian Lister,
Thank you for your Reply.
Let me clarify we respect and adore the Security Service for their Sacrifice and duty to the UK and its citizens.

Having said that i will also like to clarify that our above questions are in no way meant to Criticise our Security Service we believe they are beyond reproach.

However we seek to make certain and create awareness concerning the risk British travellers face when they travel to Nigeria.
It is a fact that the Foreign office are aware of this high risk, the fact is this "Severe Risk" is not on their "travel advice" website.

Please forward the above FOI questions to the appropriate Governmental department for Action.

Yours sincerely,

Solomon Adeleye

Ian Lister left an annotation ()

Mr. Solomon Adeleye,

If you want to make an Environmental Information Request to the Security Service, you need to either write to them using the postal address I provided earlier, or use the "contact us" page on the MI5 website. We cannot submit your request for you.

To make clear, I am not an employee of the Security Service.

Furthermore, the request you want to ask the Security Service is not an EIR request as you are not asking for the release of environmental information.

Regards,

Ian Lister
Information Access Consultant
Home Office

Solomon Adeleye

Dear Ian Lister,
Again i say thank you for your prompt reply

Please forward my "Policy" Questions to the appropriate Governmental Department.

Like i said before my questions relate to the safety of all who intend travelling to a "High Risk" country.

Yours sincerely,

Solomon Adeleye

Ian Lister left an annotation ()

Mr. Adeleye,

We do not forward requests on to other public authorities.

If you would like to submit an FoI request to the Home Office, please either email foirequests@homeoffice.gsi.gov.uk or re-submit your request to us via the whatdotheyknow.com website. Similarly, you can also submit your request to any other public authority using this site if you so choose.

Regards,

Ian Lister
Information Access Consultant
Home Office

Solomon Adeleye

Dear Ian Lister,

Thank you for being "so very helpful"

Yours sincerely,

Solomon Adeleye

Martin McGartland (Account suspended) left an annotation ()

MI5 confirm Martin McGartland was one of their agents in the fight against PIRA terrorists; http://www.scribd.com/doc/55690453/North...

http://www.scribd.com/doc/55692576/Page-...

How did you manage to make a FOI request to MI5? I have been trying to make a FOI request concerning above MI5 Press Release on Martin 'Marty' McGartland.