This is an investigative Report by We the People into the drivers and circumstances of over 500 children who live on the streets of Calabar. The females are called ‘Lacasera girls’, a reference to their availability for sexual activities at the cost of a Lacasera drink. The boys are called ‘Skolombo’ roughly translating crackhead or psychopath.…
*This chat with the Executive Director of We the People was conducted by Budgit on Twitter and first published on Medium in October 2020 The challenges of benefit transfer to host communities in oil producing states is certainly not a new conversation. In fact, the discourse has been a laser focus in recent years, with…
At least 48 persons were murdered in extra judicial circumstances in Rivers state between July and December 2020. We the People’s human rights accountability team recorded 31 incidents of atrocity in the period. The spate of killings reflects a general climate of insecurity and lawlessness which continues to highlight Rivers state in atrocious murders. Unfortunately, these…
In Calabar the capital of Cross River state, southern Nigeria, hundreds of children, some as young as 6 live on the streets. These kids are exposed to the most horrendous conditions of existence, conditions that can only be described as atrocious. To survive each day, they depend only on what they can scavenge from refuse dumps,…
WTP: Could you introduce yourself sir and tell us a bit about the work you have done with street children in Calabar?
WilliamsArikpo: My name is Williams Arikpo. I started working with street children in 2003, I did a head count and found more than 300 children on the streets of Calabar. I have a paper I wrote down their names one by one. It wasn’t like a survey but I mean, when I meet you, I write down your name. (more…)
In September 2019, gang criminality continued to rise in River state. The month witnessed attack on Police officers, politically motivated killings and inter communal murders. However, the most bizarre of the killings were those by a serial killer(s) following a pattern of murders targeting women in hotels in Rivers state. In the month of September 25…
In the 31-day period of August 2019, there were 10 documented incidents of atrocity in Rivers state that resulted in 45 killings. This figure is more than double that of the previous month, indicating a further descent into insecurity in parts of the state. The spate of killings reflects a general climate of insecurity and lawlessness…
Between the 19th of August and the 3rd of September 2019, Agnes Callamard, United Nations Special Rapporteur for Extrajudicial, Summary or Arbitrary Executions conducted an official country visit to Nigeria. For 12 days, she examined situations of violations of the right to life by State and non-State actors; the Federal State security strategy and the responses…
In the last decade, there has been a tremendous increase in the number of children living in the streets of Calabar. These kids are exposed to the most horrendous conditions including forced labour and regular physical abuses. To survive each day, these kids depend only on what they can scavenge from refuse dumps, leftovers at restaurants,…
The month of July 2019 saw further reduction in cases of atrocious killings in Rivers state. The month also witnessed important interventions by the state government to address the problem of insecurity in the state as well as atrocious killings. In the 31-day period of July 2019, We the People tracked and documented 11 incidents that…
In response to the ongoing routine mass killings in Rivers state, We the People on Tuesday, 2nd July 2019, held a consultative Town Hall Meeting aimed at jointly exploring opportunities for ending the killing and securing accountability and closure for the victims and their families. (more…)
We the People and the Rivers state branch of the National Orientation Agency have resolved to work together to end violent killings in Rivers state, and expose corruption in the state. The two organizations met on Friday 12th July 2019 at the office of the NOA. (more…)
In the 30-day period of June 2019, there were 16 documented incidents of atrocity in Rivers state that resulted in 26 killings. While this is a marked decline in the quarter, it nonetheless reflects a general climate of insecurity and lawlessness which continues to highlight Rivers state in atrocious murders.
In the month of May 2019, there was a terrifying spike in the number of violent killings in Rivers state. While We the People in its Atrocities Monitoring Report for the previous Month of April recorded 16 incidents that resulted in 46 killings, an alarming 21 incidents were documented in the month of May that led…
In the month of April 2019, We the People tracked and documented 46 atrocious killings in Rivers state occurring on a near daily basis. This report contains the different incidents where these killings occur. Unfortunately, the alarming increase in cases of atrocious killings have not received commensurate response from law enforcement agencies and the government. Beyond…
On the 10th of October 2018, We the People held an anti-corruption training workshop with Commercial Tricycle operators and members of the Drivers’ Welfare Association in Rivers state. The meeting was conceived as space to educate and train members of the transport unions on their basic rights, how to report and resist abuses especially extortion, multiple taxation and corruption from the police and local government officials. (more…)
For the past 20 months, resident of Port Harcourt Nigeria’s oil and gas capital have witnessed the emergence of black hydrocarbon soot falling from the sky and contaminating everything it descends on as well as the air people breath. The emergence of the soot further compounds the serious environmental devastation suffered in the Niger Delta of Nigeria. Over 5 decades of oil and gas exploitation has left the region with one of the most devastated ecosystems in the world. A long history of oil spills and gas flaring has left the lands, water bodies and air in the region unsafe and unproductive. (more…)
This Reports provides a guide to understanding the role of governments in realizing the human rights of citizens through its annual budgets. It highlights constitutional and international convention provisions in education and health.
This budget briefing focuses on estimates contained in the 2018 budget speech presented to the Rivers State House of Assembly by the governor. It questions the plans of the state & recommends alternative fiscal policy options.
The leadership of the Cross River State REDD+ Communities Coalition representing forest communities delineated for the implementation of climate change mitigation in Cross River state have raised alarm over the rate of deforestation in the state. This information was made public during a consultative town hall meeting with We the People in Ikom, Cross River State. (more…)