At a time when campaign against human rights violations by the persons in uniform, particularly the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS), is loudest, CLEEN Foundation’s over two-decade work promoting public safety, security and accessible justice in Nigeria, especially around improving human rights and accountability mechanism within the Nigeria Police Force, is worth recognising.
Established in 1998, CLEEN Foundation aligns with the passion of its founder, late Innocent Chukwuma, in police and criminal justice reforms, human rights defence and accountability within the Nigeria Police Force. Among other efforts, the foundation trains the Special Weapon and Tactics (SWAT) units, formerly known as Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS), and other personnel of the Nigerian Police Force (NPF) on the process and procedures of human rights principles and standards in the discharge of their duties.
CLEEN Foundation has a special consultative status with the Economic and Social Council of the United Nations in New York, the United States of America since June 2020, and observer status with the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights based in Banjul, The Gambia. It is a winner of several awards including the Advocate of Peace and Social Justice award in 2016, and most recently, Award of Excellence Promoting Public Safety in Nigeria by the Crime Reporters Association of Nigeria (CRAN) and the Human Rights Award by the National Human Rights Commission in 2019.