ASSESSING AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL’S IMPACT ON HUMAN RIGHTS IN NIGERIA (A CASE STUDY OF THE FEDERAL CAPITAL TERRITORY, ABUJA, NIGERIA)

This research critically examines the impact of Amnesty International on the promotion and protection of human rights in Nigeria, with a specific focus on the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja. The study investigates how Amnesty International operates, the effectiveness of its advocacy strategies, and the challenges it encounters within the Nigerian human rights landscape. The theoretical framework, for this project is the structural functionalist theory was propagated by Talcott Parsons. Using qualitative research methods, data was collected through secondary data such as books, educational journals, news and websites, and the primary data was collected through interviews with twenty key informants, including scholars, journalists, staff members of Amnesty International, and representatives of Human Rights Watch. The findings reveal that Amnesty International has played a pivotal role in raising awareness, documenting abuses, and influencing public discourse around human rights issues in Abuja. However, the study also uncovers persistent obstacles such as political resistance, insecurity, and limited local collaboration, which hinder the full realization of Amnesty’s goals. The research concludes that for Amnesty International to achieve a deeper and more sustainable impact, it must strengthen its partnerships with local actors and broaden its public engagement strategies. This study contributes valuable insights into the dynamics of international human rights advocacy within Nigeria’s socio-political context.