The Coordinator, Human Rights Commission (HRC), Plateau State, Mrs Grace Nanya Pam, said Nigerians must cultivate the culture of respecting human dignity to end extrajudicial killings, kidnapping and violenct conflicts that have claimed several lives in communities across the country.

She noted that respect for human rights in the country is at the lowest level, which has led to the violent conflicts currently being experienced, adding that the Commission has commenced human rights education at primary and secondary schools.

Mrs Pam disclosed this Thursday at the end of a 3-day training workshop for civil society organisations, community leaders and security experts on conflict and human rights, organised by Search For Common Ground Nigeria for Jos North and Jos South communities in Plateau State.

She lamented that violent crises have persisted in some communities in Plateau due to the lack of respect for human dignity, saying that training will lead to tolerance and respect among people of different religious faiths in the state.

“If we respect each other, there is no how we will have the conflicts going on in Nigeria. The crises that happen often that lead to killing of innocent souls is because we have not learned to respect each other, and if we do so, it will reduce to a minimum level the conflicts and crises that happen in our country,” she said.

“With kidnapping, extrajudicial killings, intercommunal crisis, human rights in Nigeria is at the lowest level. That is why we are going back to the drawing table to begin to educate our people since we have seen what is happening in our society.

“It is now incumbent on everybody that we know what human rights are, that we respect each other, that we cultivate the culture of human rights in our society, if not the crisis and insecurity going on in our country will continue to go on and it will escalate to affect the whole country…”

Programme Facilitator, Search For Common Ground Nigeria, Patience Chaimang, said the training workshop will help communities to understand early warning signs and human rights violations.

“All the flash point communities we’ve selected with a view to build better understanding among them.”

A village Head in Jos North, Arum Bulus, and a resident of Dadin-Kowa in Jos South, Hadiza Haruna, who were participants at the training, applauded Search For Common Ground Nigeria for the programme which, according to them, has increased their knowledge on respect to humanity dignity.

They beleive that respect for human rights will reduce violence and the conflicts that have claimed several lives in communities across the middle belt state. (Daily Sun)

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