Police brutality and human rights in Nigeria's democracy: Focus on restoration of man's dignity

After about twenty years of military rule in Nigeria, Nigerians seemed to have lost the ability to insist on their fundamental human rights. In this vein, any attempt to talk about human rights has been very controversial since the return of democracy in 1991 because the police seem to have taken over the lawlessness of the military as no day passes without a daily occurrence of extra judicial killings, accidental discharge, and other notorious acts against innocent citizens all over the country. Therefore, with police brutality observable in every nook and cranny of the Nigerian society, this study evaluates human rights abuses in Nigeria's democracy with a view to restoring man's dignity that is at lowest ebb today than ever. Since government seems confused on what steps to take to put a stop to the series of abuses of human rights, hypotheses were formulated and literatures related to the variables reviewed. Survey research design was adopted and a total sample of 150 respondents was selected through purposive sampling technique and simple random sampling technique. The hypotheses were tested at 0.05 significant levels and the results of the findings show that all the null hypotheses were rejected and the alternate hypotheses accepted at same significant levels. Among the findings, the study shows that the rule of law in Nigeria has fallen short of the expectations of the citizens. Secondly, the police force has become a stumbling block to the effective administration of Justice and efficient maintenance of law and order as cruelty against citizens are widespread. Furthermore, the sheer disrespect of rules of engagements with imunity by the police not only questions the ability of the government to protect its citizens but also undermines its credibility. Based on the findings, the study concludes that the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) have not only abdicated their constitutional functions, responsibilities and obligations to Nigerians, but are deeply engaged in human rights abuses, bribery, and extortions of money not only from motorists plying our roads but also in our habitudes at the least opportunity. In this light, the study recommends that as a security organization in a democracy, the Nigeria police should understand that democracy demands that the human personality in its course of development should be allowed to proceed without artificial forces or barricade so long as it actively does not violate the safety and reasonable right of others. In addition, there should be other far-reaching reforms and reorientations necessary to bring Nigeria's policing operations into conformity with constitutional and international human rights standards.

The Rising Prevalence of Weapons in Unsafe Arming Configurations Discovered in American Airports: the Increasing Practice of Storage and Carry of Firearms with a Round Chambered

BackgroundRecent studies have shown that Americans appear to be increasingly owning and carrying firearms for personal protection, and are increasingly storing their firearms loaded. However, the prevalence of firearm carry and/or storage with a round chambered has not hitherto been studied; in this arming configuration the weapon is loaded, with a bullet resting against the firing pin, ready to fire if the trigger is pulled. Ostensibly this decreases reaction time in a threat situation, but carries an increased risk of accidental discharge. It is unknown what fraction of firearm owners typically carry or store their firearms in this configuration, and if there have been significant temporal trends in the practice.ObjectiveWe examine firearms detected at Transportation Security Administration (TSA) airport security checkpoints between 2012 to 2017, to examine geospatial and temporal trends in the prevalence of unsafe arming configuration in detected firearms.ResultsThe fraction of detected firearms found to be loaded has risen significantly since 2012 (Beta Binomial logistic regressionp= 0.011). States with firearm child access prevention laws have significantly fewer firearms found by the TSA to be loaded (p= 0.039).The fraction of loaded firearms found by the TSA to also have a round chambered has also risen significantly since 2012 (Beta Binomial logistic regressionp< 0.001). By 2017, 36% of firearms found loaded were also found to have a round chambered, representing an apparent concerning trend in unsafe arming configurations during carry and storage.ConclusionsAmericans appear to be increasingly using and storing firearms in unsafe arming configurations. TSA firearm detection data can potentially provide a key source of data when researching trends in firearm injury.

Machinery Space Fire Fighting – Modern Alternatives

Machinery spaces in the majority of Royal Navy (RN) vessels use carbon dioxide (CO2) as the primary fire suppressant. While CO2 is very effective for firefighting, particularly in machinery space application, it is harmful to life in the concentrations required for effective fire suppression; exposure to concentrations greater than 15% can cause death within sixty seconds. The use of CO2 and similar fire suppressant systems in machinery spaces presents a risk due to the potential exposure of personnel. This may occur in a fire scenario where personnel are unable to escape the affected compartment, if there is a leak in the system, or due to accidental discharge. These risks are typically mitigated through physical means and procedural controls. However, in the hierarchy of safety controls the primary means should always be the elimination of the hazard. Babcock Energy and Marine undertook a study for the United Kingdom Ministry of Defence (MoD) into alternative methods of firefighting on Royal Navy minor warship machinery spaces with the safety of personnel considered a key requirement. The study identified five alternatives to CO2 available on the market. One particular aerosol fire suppression system was found to be superior to the others for application in small craft. This system is not toxic, non-ozone depleting and leaves almost no residue after application to the affected space, enabling re-entry (provided that the space has been ventilated to remove the products of combustion). The study concluded that traditional methods of fire suppression should be reconsidered across all small craft due to the health and safety issues associated with CO2 and the availability of improved alternatives. This paper considers the use of traditional firefighting systems on naval vessels in light of 21st century health and safety regulations. An assessment of current fire extinguishing agents is presented followed by a case study to determine the most appropriate solution for a minor warship concept with a particular aerosol system being justified as the preferred option. The paper also considers if the same conclusions would be reached for major warships or if the difference in scale results in an alternative solution.

IMPLEMENT AN EXTENSION CORD POWER SOCKET WITH EMERGENCY LIGHTING AND VOICE CONTROL LIGHTING FUNCTIONS

Conventional power sockets are equipped with an extension cord. Even with anti-overload devices, incidents of accidental discharge or damage to electrical appliances may still incur due to external factors. To address this problem, this study integrated the voice control and lighting functions to the design of the power socket with an extension cord. The proposed design is space-efficient and versatile, and can be used in living rooms, bedrooms, and other places having electrical appliances. The proposed design also integrated emergency lighting and flashlight functions, so as to expand the practicality and safety of the power socket.

Fatal Gunshot Wounds in Young Children

Deaths related to firearms are common within the United States. Although relatively rare compared to other age groups, deaths occurring in young children represent a particularly tragic subcategory of firearms-related fatalities. This manuscript provides details regarding several cases of gunshot wound deaths occurring in young children. Included are a variety of situations and scenarios: the child was an innocent bystander struck by gunfire that was intended for another individual; unsafe firearm handling and manipulation by another individual, resulting in the child being shot; unsafe storage of a loaded firearm with resultant accidental discharge of the weapon; a young child having ready access to a loaded handgun and subsequently shooting him/herself; and the child being considered a potential intended target and being shot by another individual. The details of each case are provided, and discussion will focus on realistic strategies that, if implemented, might prevent such deaths from occurring in the future.

Study on industrial macropollutants discharges in Milan sewer system

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to study the transformation of some macropollutants including hydrocarbons, surfactants and metals in Milan west sewer basin. The study is part of a wider research (named SWARMNET and proposed by Politecnico di Milano and Metropolitana Milanese S.p.A and has been classified as fundable by the Ministry of Education, University and Research of Italy), aiming at installing a monitoring system for measurement of accidental discharge of pollutants from industrial activities and real-time protection of the wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) by avoiding dangerous discharges entering the sewers. Good effluent and waste sludge quality allow safe agricultural reuse of both streams. Other objectives include food safety, lower treatment costs and reduction of pollution of soil, surface and groundwater. Design/methodology/approach – The west basin of Milan sewer network, discharging to San Rocco WWTP was considered. Among 700 industries, 16 have been selected for their specific characteristics and/or high industrial pollution load. A quality model was coupled with a hydraulic model to evaluate the effect of pollutants transport in the network. Findings – Heavy metals, surfactants and hydrocarbons have different behavior from biodegradable domestic sewage and can be modeled as conservative matter conveyed by advection only. Results show that the concentration values of these macropollutants at the inlet of the WWTP are below the Italian standard values with the exception of Cadmium and Mercury. These heavy metals should be considered in the planned sampling campaign. Originality/value – This study will estimate environmental benefits and both methodology and monitoring techniques can be extended to other cities in Italy and Europe.

Biopolymers as Encapsulating Agents for the Immobilization of Prussian Blue and Analogues for the Sorption of Cesium

Prussian Blue (PB, iron hexacyanoferrate) is an efficient micron-sized sorbent that can be encapsulated in a biopolymer matrix (chitin) for the treatment of Cs (I)-bearing solutions. Different conditionings have been designed for the treatment of Cs-contaminated effluents (with natural Cs (I) solutions, and with 137Cs spiked solutions). The sorbents conditioned under the form of beads or discs can be used in columns while sponges can be used for the treatment of accidental discharge of effluents (contaminated water absorption by the sponge, metal ions sorption on the ion-exchanger, treated water removal by centrifugation, metal concentration in the composite material).