Nigeria Records Continental Milestone as Ojukwu Takes VP Seat in ANPMN
By Core Reporters
Kigali (Core Reporters) Nigeria has recorded a major continental milestone with the election of the Executive Secretary of the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), Dr. Anthony Ojukwu, (SAN) as Vice-President of the African National Preventive Mechanisms Network (ANPMN).
Ojukwu was elected on Friday, June 26, 2026 during the Fourth Annual Conference of ANPMN held in Kigali, Rwanda, where delegates from across Africa endorsed a new leadership to advance torture prevention and the protection of the rights of persons deprived of their liberty.
The conference, themed “Women and Children in Detention: Gender-responsive and Child-sensitive National Preventive Mechanism Approaches,” coincided with the United Nations International Day in Support of Victims of Torture, reinforcing Africa’s renewed commitment to preventing torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment.
The newly elected ANPMN Steering Committee comprises: President: Commissioner Philile Ntuli, South African Human Rights Commission, South Africa. Vice-President: Chief Anthony Ojukwu, SAN, Executive Secretary, National Human Rights Commission, Nigeria.
Steering Committee Members: Morocco, Rwanda, Mozambique, Mali, Senegal and Mauritania.
ANPMN is the continental platform for National Preventive Mechanisms established under the Optional Protocol to the United Nations Convention against Torture (OPCAT). The Network serves as a strategic forum for strengthening preventive monitoring of places of deprivation of liberty, promoting the exchange of best practices, enhancing technical cooperation among African National Preventive Mechanisms, and advancing torture prevention across the continent. Its Permanent Secretariat is hosted in Rabat, Morocco.
In a statement signed by Fatimah Agwai Mohammed, NHRC Director, of Corporate Affairs and External Linkages, the commission described Ojukwu’s election as a significant recognition of his leadership in torture prevention and of Nigeria’s growing influence in regional human rights initiatives.
The Commission noted that the development reflects the confidence reposed in Nigeria’s National Preventive Mechanism and its sustained contributions to preventive monitoring and the protection of the rights and dignity of persons deprived of their liberty across Africa.
