The police should
arrest and prosecute, in an open and transparent manner, all those
involved in violence before, during, and after the April election,
executive secretary of the National Human Rights Commission, Roland
Ewubare, has said.
Mr. Ewubare, who
also said the commission is deploying 370 monitors to evaluate the
election, said it would not rely on the police to prosecute
perpetrators of violence.
“Democracy is about
people, and any attempt to muzzle the people and compel them to
mortgage their conscience cannot augur well for our democracy. Against
this background, we call on the police and other security agencies to
be alive to their duties and take proactive measures to maintain law
and other,” he said.
He said while
Nigerians look forward to a very credible poll, sordid events within
the polity are giving people cause for concern. Mr. Ewubare said this
include violent attacks on convoys of political aspirants, disruptions
of political campaigns, and killing of political opponents.
“Events in Akwa
Ibom, Benue, Plateau, Enugu, Anambra, Gombe, Borno, Bauchi, Niger,
Bayelsa States and virtually all parts of the country have created
palpable fear among Nigerians, who now need assurances of safety and a
level playing field in order to freely exercise their right to vote,”
he said.
Maximum punishment
The executive
secretary, who said the amendment to the commission’s enabling law had
conferred on it the power to function independently, said the death
penalty should be reserved for those who perpetuated electoral violence.
“The commission
will observe the conduct of security personnel during the elections in
order to assess their neutrality and effectiveness in providing a
conductive atmosphere for free and fair elections,” he said.
The programme
co-ordinator of the Network for Police Reform in Nigeria said the
inability of the police to solve many politically motivated killings
and destruction raised questions as to the capacity of the force to
support INEC and President Goodluck Jonathan’s promised free and fair
elections.
