By Kamsi Anayo, Awka
The Anambra State Police Command has reiterated its commitment to protecting the rights and dignity of all residents in the state.
The police command warned against the enforcement of caste-based discriminations such as the Osu practice, describing them as barbaric, unlawful, and incompatible with Nigeria’s constitutional order.
SP Tochukwu Ikenga, the Police Public Relations Officer in a statement on Wednesday, said that denying individuals their rights on account of caste amounts to a gross violation of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended), as well as extant anti-discrimination laws.
Citing Section 42(1) of the Constitution, the Command noted that no citizen shall be subjected to any form of discrimination on the basis of community, ethnic group, place of origin, sex, religion, or circumstance of birth.
It further recalled that Section 34(1) guarantees the right to human dignity and outlaws all degrading treatment, while the Discrimination Against Persons (Prohibition) Act, 2018, criminalizes such practices and prescribes penalties for offenders.
“The attempt to deny couples the right to marry or live freely together on the basis of caste practices is unacceptable and unlawful.
“Once two consenting adults agree to marry, no cultural barrier or discriminatory practice has any legal standing to override their constitutional rights to freedom of association, family life, and dignity,” the Command warned.
Ikenga added that Nigeria is governed by the rule of law, not oppressive traditions, and vowed that anyone found culpable of enforcing caste-based discrimination would face the full weight of the law.
