As leader of the CLO (Civil Liberties Organisation), Innocent pioneered a program to publicize human rights abuses committed by the Nigerian police forces. His research exposed an institutionalized culture of brutality and torture in Nigeria’s criminal justice system, which led to the country’s first-ever human rights training workshop aimed at preventing police misconduct. In 1996, Innocent successfully lobbied the United Nations Commission on Human Rights to pass a resolution condemning Nigeria’s human rights record. The move enraged Nigerian authorities, and Innocent began to receive death threats. Undeterred, Innocent dedicated himself to reforming Nigeria’s law enforcement agencies. He founded the Center for Law Enforcement Education (CLEEN), an organization that works both to change police attitudes toward the public and to educate poor Nigerians about their civil rights and the legal system. In addition to his criminal justice work, he was one of the founders of United Action for Democracy, Nigeria’s principal pro-democracy political party. In 1997, Innocent successfully lobbied the United Nations to appoint a special human rights investigator for Nigeria. Today, he continues to be an outspoken critic of political corruption and injustice at home and abroad.
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