32 CSOs urge FG to punish perpetrators of violence in Rivers elections

Thirty-two Civil Society Organizations on Thursday in Abuja called on the Federal Government to bring the perpetrators of violence in last Saturday’s legislative rerun elections in Rivers State to justice.

In a statement signed by its Co-conveners, Dr. Chima Amadi and Ezenwa, the groups condemned the violence in which seven persons including a youth corper Mr Samuel Okonta were killed.

While calling for the arrest of those linked with the violence and killings, the CSOs appealed to Nigerians to support the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC to reform the electoral process in a way that the people can freely elect their leaders.

“The security breaches culminating in the destruction of life and property, despite the large number of security personnel deployed in Rivers State, is a cause for worry. Six thousand conventional policemen, eight additional or visiting mobile police squadrons to support the 46 units of mobile police in the state, soldiers, Department of State Services (DSS) operatives, Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) personnel and other paramilitary agencies could not provide security for the National and State Assembly elections in just one state.

“More worrisome is the fact that each of the above-mentioned agencies was associated with particular political parties and report from observers in the field can confirm that in several instances these security agencies worked for the parties they were associated with.
“We condemn the violence unleashed on the state by the political actors and their agents and call for the arrest and prosecution of any individual found to have remotely or actively aided and abetted the violence.

“We also call on the Federal Government to ensure effective investigation of the violence in Rivers with a view to identifying the perpetrators and bringing them to account.

“Security is the responsibility of the Federal Government. The only way to curb recurrent electoral violence is to bring perpetrators to account.

“We are aware that INEC made arrangements for credible elections and its officers ready to deploy to polling units in a charged environment, a situation which the commission still braced itself to discharge its responsibility.”