We congratulate Prof. Peter Onyekwere Ebigbo, who was recently elected to the International Council for Rehabilitation of Torture Victims in Copenhagen, Denmark – the first black African to achieve that feat. We expect him to look homewards a lot during his tenure which will last from now to 2019.
There is a lot of torture in Africa, and if he can get African governments to outlaw torture, it will go a long way to civilize our society.
He shouldn’t just look at rehabilitating victims of torture, but also at preventing torture from occurring in the first place. Prof. Onyekwere Ebigbo should start a campaign to encourage African governments to introduce more humane methods of interrogation, as torture is something that we should phase out.
Sir, we don’t want you just sitting behind your desk somewhere in Copenhagen with a lot of important papers to sign all day. Rather, we want you to go to the capitals of Africa, to meet African leaders to persuade them to join in the fight against torture. If Mary Slessor could write her name in the history books by bringing the killing of twins to an end, then you could also do the same with the campaign against torture we have outlined above.
Sir, this is your chance, seize the day.
Agreed!
I wish he could take these pieces of advice.