It’s gradually becoming the norm that in every election in Nigeria, some citizens will lose their lives. This was not different during last Saturday’s presidential and national assembly elections which, again, left a sour taste in the mouths of many Nigerians. SAMSON BENJAMIN in this report examines the unfortunate deaths arising therefrom and how the situation can be checked.
Before the end of voting in last Saturday’s presidential and national assembly elections, media reports showed that as many as 40 people could have lost their lives. Different sources reported that as many as 15 lives could have been lost in Rivers state; three in Kogi state; two killed in Bayelsa state; two were killed in Delta state, and one was in Oyo state. The dead included civilians shot by political thugs, security personnel shot in gun battle with thugs and politicians shot by political thugs and unknown assassins.
In Lagos state, thugs allegedly invaded areas that are dominated by other ethnic groups and destroyed electoral materials, telling the voters to go back to their states of origin to vote. In Akwa Ibom state, electoral officers were abducted; many of them were members of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) recruited as ad hoc staff by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
Similarly, the Taraba state police command confirmed the killing of five persons by gunmen in the early hours of Sunday.
The police public relations officer in the state, Mr David Misal, made the confirmation while speaking to newsmen in Jalingo. Misal said the five persons were coming from Umari to Cambri villages in Karim Lamido local government area when they were ambushed at about 3:00am by the hoodlums and shot dead.
The PPRO, however, said the killings had nothing to do with the elections.
“Yes, five people were ambushed by hoodlums and shot dead in the early hours of Sunday in Karim Lamido local government council of Taraba. The killings do not have to do with elections, it is being investigated as a criminal matter,” he said.
However, Mr Aaron Artimas, the spokesperson of the All progressives Congress (APC) in the Taraba, said one of the victims, Malam Muhammed Kambari, served as an APC agent in his home town of Kambari and was coming from the village in the company of others when some gunmen suspected to be political thugs shot them dead.
Significantly, the death that was most touching was that of the 19-year-old Daniel Usman, a student of Kogi state University, who was reportedly shot dead while voting for the first time. Hours before his death, he had made a post on Facebook which read thus:
‘Vote and not fight; respect yourself and stay out of trouble…’
Pre-election deaths
Sadly, the nation also recorded series of politically motivated killings in many states before and after the presidential and National Assembly elections was postponed by INEC in the wee hours of February 16.
On the eve of the postponement date, the chairman of APC in Ohimini local government area of Benue state, Mr Boniface Okloho, was shot dead at Ehatokpe by unknown assailants.
Late Okloho, according to the APC’s state publicity secretary, James Ornguga, was killed while he was on his way back home from a party’s function.
On the same day, suspected hoodlums attacked and killed Mr Lawrence Ngozi Akpomiemie, the special assistant to Governor Ifeanyi Okowa, at Ekpan in Uvwie local government area of Delta state.
In Akwa Ibom state, violence erupted on the eve of the rescheduled polls, leading to the killing of one person and the burning of 11 vehicles belonging to the INEC in Obot Akara local government area of the state.
In Rivers state, residents were horrified by the turn of events after the police confirmed the killing of an officer in the wave of attacks at different parts of the state just before the sudden postponement of the general elections by INEC.
Apart from the policeman, six persons were reportedly shot dead at Erema area of Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni local government area of the state while two others were killed in separate attacks at Ozuaha in Ikwerre LGA. The Ozuaha victims were identified as APC members.
In Cross River state, Mr Ayuk Ogar, the chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Bendeghe Ekiem Ward of Etung local government area and four others were confirmed dead following a clash with APC supporters in the area.
In the same week, the Kano state police command confirmed the death of two persons during a bloody clash between supporters of PDP and APC at Kofa in Bebeji local government area of the state.
The command’s public relations officer, DSP Abdullahi Haruna, confirmed the number of deaths in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Kano and also said many people sustained various degrees of injuries during the fracas. He said no fewer than 20 vehicles were burnt while 18 others were also vandalised during the incident which occurred around 2:00 pm on Thursday.
Also, the APC chairman in Logara/Umuohiagu Ward in the Ngor Okpala local government area of Imo state Ifeanyi Ozoemena was killed on Tuesday night in his house.
The state’s police commissioner, Dasuki Galadanchi, who confirmed his death, stated that he was killed shortly after presiding over his party’s ward meeting.
Also during the week, two people believed to be members of the APC were killed in Ojoku in Oyun local government area of Kwara state, while its senatorial candidate for Kwara South, Lola Ashiru, reportedly escaped assassination attempt by political thugs.
In Eha Alumona in Nsukka local government area of Enugu state, the killing of a supporter of APC, Mr Chukwuemeka Ishienyi, was reported. He was allegedly shot dead while returning from a meeting purportedly organised by the PDP in the area on Wednesday night.
When contacted the police spokesman, Ebere Amaraizu, said he had not been informed about the incident, saying “I will find out.”
Speaking with Blueprint Weekend, Clement Nwankwo, convener of Nigeria Civil Society Situation Room, lamented the spate of violence and deaths across the country.
He said: “An election, which was supposed to be like football match, turned out to be a war in which opposing groups engaged each other in gun battles. Thank God for the ubiquity of camera phones, some of the scenes were recorded and uploaded on the Internet, helping to give authenticity to the claims.
“Over the weekend, Senegal conducted its election too. But there were no reports of deaths.
“That the soldiers and police deployed to keep the peace in these elections could not stop thugs from intimidating voters, burning voting materials and even killing voters in different parts of the nation is unfortunate. The huge amount of money spent on the elections looked wasted given the huge loss of lives recorded so far. It was a big disappointment. This failure will encourage more thugs to disrupt future elections in areas where they believe they will lose, so as to reduce the number of votes of their opponents.
“The life of Nigerians should be made to be of high value. The government should make this clear and put it in practice. The security agents should be made to act this out. Citizens should be made to understand and imbibe it that human life is worth more than anything, including an election. That also means that victory in our elections should no longer be as lucrative as it currently is.”
Police arrest 120 offenders
Meanwhile, the police said one hundred and twenty people involved in various electoral offences were arrested during the February 23, 2019 presidential and national assembly elections across the country.
ACP Frank Mbah, the Force’s Public Relations Officer, said this on Wednesday in a live radio programme, Police Diary, monitored by Blueprint Weekend; noting that 38 various improvised explosive devices-making materials were equally recovered during the polls.
Mbah said the recovered IEDs-making materials were reasons explosions were not experienced anywhere in the South-west, South-south, South-east and North-central parts of Nigeria.
While he said investigation had commenced to unravel the circumstances or individuals behind the development, Mbah gave the assurance that the police would ensure that all those that violated the Electoral Act would be diligently prosecuted.
He said: “That the arrest of 120 people and massive interception by Delta State Police Command actually help us to nip in the bud, various dangerous things that could have occurred, probably we would have had a lot of problems on our hands during the elections; but thankfully that interception was made.
“What I want to assure Nigerians this time around is that they will see clear cases of diligent prosecution of electoral offenders. We need to begin to take measures and take actions that will send a strong message out there that election offences are serious offences and that when you commit electoral offences you will not go scot-free. That is the only way we can begin to stamp out impunity gradually.
“We had cases where very senior police officers were attacked amounting to serious assault and we also want to send a very strong message out there that you cannot attack a police officer or any other law enforcement agent for that matter and go free.”
“Nigerians need to support us in this regard if we must continue to defend Nigeria. Nigerians owe us a duty to also defend us and everyone that participated in that condemnable act involving the attack on a very senior police officer in Bayelsa state will be held to account.
“We didn’t record any situation where law enforcement agents turn their guns on the people, we didn’t record incidences of accidental discharge, and we didn’t record incidences of excessive use of force by law enforcement agencies. I think these are areas we must be given kudos to, we were able to protect all election observers.”
Prosecution of offenders
Significantly, speaking to Blueprint Weekend, the chairperson of the Transition Monitoring Group, a coalition of over 40 Civil Society Organisations (CSOs), Dr Abiola Akiyode –Afolabi, urged INEC and the police to ensure that all those responsible for the killings are brought to book in order to prevent re-occurrences.
“Those found liable of election related violence should be prosecuted by the Police and INEC. Election related violence and loss of life, which occurred in a number of places, is deeply troubling. Nigeria can do better; violence has no place in a modern democracy.
“Nigeria can do better; violence has no place in a modern democracy. Those found liable should be prosecuted. Those responsible should be held accountable, we encourage all political parties to honour their commitments in the National Peace Accord and reject violence,” she said.
SERAP reacts
Similarly, the Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) sent an open letter to President Muhammadu Buhari urging him to “immediately refer to the International Criminal Court (ICC) pursuant to Article 13 of the Rome Statute to which Nigeria is a state party, all allegations of election-related violence, intimidation and killings between 1999 and 2019 for investigation and prosecution.”
The organisation also stated that, “It is important to do this to send a powerful message that election-related violence, intimidation and killings will not be tolerated under your watch.”
In the letter dated 25 February 2019 and signed by SERAP’s deputy director Kolawole Oluwadare, the organisation said: “Referral of the cases of election-related violence, intimidation and killings to the ICC would serve as a deterrent and ensure that Nigerians, particularly victims in the states that have repeatedly witnessed violence and whose human rights have been violated are not denied justice and effective remedies.
“The violence, intimidation and killings in some states around the just concluded general elections suggest that the electoral law and criminal law have over the years not been adequately enforced, and deterrence, through criminal sanctions, is failing. Electoral violence – a species of political violence – is not only a criminal act but crimes under international law, given its widespread and systematic nature over many years.”
Justice will be served
Meanwhile, President Buhari on Wednesday said security agencies in the country will bring to justice those that allegedly perpetuated violence during the presidential and national assembly elections.
The president in his acceptance speech shortly after he was declared winner by the Chairman of INEC, for another four-year term tasked security agencies to prosecute electoral offenders.
He said: “Although Saturday’s elections were relatively peaceful, trouble-makers in a handful of states attempted to disrupt an otherwise orderly process. Security agencies will bring to justice all those arrested in the process.
“I am very sad at the grievous loss of lives during these elections. Security agencies will step up their efforts to protect voters in the forthcoming state elections.”