A/HRC/11/26* 14. With regard to the allegation of extra-judicial killings by members of the Nigerian security forces, the delegation strongly stressed Nigeria has never and will never, condone a policy where members of its security forces deprive any human being of his life. In the very rare instances when security personnel have been found guilty of extra-judicial killings or gross misconduct, they have been punished in accordance with the law. 15. Torture is against both the provisions of the Constitution and Nigeria’s commitment under the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment (CAT). Nigeria is prepared to cooperate with Council or any other stakeholder who is interested in finding out the facts regarding torture in Nigeria. 16. With respect to the strategy of the Nigerian Government for the security, governance and development of the Niger Delta, it was important to clear any misperception that the situation in the Delta has a religious connotation. That situation has two dimensions – a political one and a criminal one. The political dimension relates to the legitimate demands of the people of the Delta for greater benefit from the oil resources of their region and for measures to tackle the environmental pollution from years of oil exploration. The Government has started to address some of these demands more seriously. The criminal dimension relates to the action of the group calling itself the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND). For more than ten years, MEND has been abducting both Nigerians and foreign oil workers for ransom, sometimes maiming or killing innocent persons in the process. The group’s criminal activities have led to the disruption of oil supplies and destruction of oil facilities. To ensure peace and security for everyone living in this area, as well as to protect the oil companies’ huge investment there, the Federal Government had had to deploy a Military Joint Task Force to restore law and order., The Government has recently created a Ministry for the Niger Delta to address the economic, social and political demands of those living in the Delta. Unfortunately, MEND keeps getting arms from foreign sources, so escalating the crisis and Nigeria called for international assistance to counter smuggling of small weapons. To avoid killing innocent people, the Government has refrained full-scale military operations in the Niger-Delta, an approach it is hoped will eventually restore law and order in the region. 17. The Netherlands had expressed concern that child trafficking, child labour, sexual exploitation and harmful traditional practices are still being practiced in Nigeria, despite the domestication of the Convention on the Rights of the Child. That simply showed that it is not every human problem that can be solved overnight through legislation. As for sexual exploitation of children trafficked, resolving the problem of child trafficking is beyond one State alone, and also requires receiving States to ensure that trafficked children are protected. 18. Regarding concerns about congestion and lack of facilities in prisons, the delegation stressed that the prison system is not congested per capita, and that the relative overcrowding in the Nigerian prison system is due to the large number of inmates awaiting trial. The Government has embarked on the construction of 47 new prisons and 24 have already been completed. The biggest challenge is in urban areas, where there is some congestion, but to address the problem new cellblocks of 250 bed-spaces are being constructed in 18 urban prisons. With regard to juvenile justice, Nigeria has currently three borstal training institution for the treatment of juvenile offenders and efforts to expand the number to six are under way. 19. The delegation expressed disappointment at the severity of the attack on Nigeria’s criminal justice system in the stakeholders’ compilation, especially in view of the collaborative efforts by Nigeria and the United Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) to enhance both the integrity and the capacity of Nigeria’s judiciary and courts. The results were quite commendable. For example, in its report to the 17th Session of the Commission GE.09-16312 5