Cleric, Monarch, CSOs Blame Police For Electoral Violence

The failure of the nation’s security agencies, especially the Police Force to prosecute persons involved in electoral violence, has been identified as the major reason the crime has continued to unabated.

The verdict was delivered by a clergyman, traditional ruler, and a civil rights activist, during an international conference on how to engender peace in the South-East zone during the upcoming general election held in Awka, Anambra State on Wednesday.

The conference with the theme “Vote, Not Fight: Election No Be War” was organised by Catch Them Young Community Initiative and attended by youth from across the five South-East States of Abia, Anambra, Ebonyi, Enugu and Imo, officials of thr Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), National Orientation Agency (NOA), Civil Society Organisations (CSOs), politicians, traditional rulers, clergies, among other critical stakeholders in the electoral process.

In their separate contributions, the traditional ruler of Umuleri community, Anambra East local government area, Igwe B. I. Emeka; Coordinator, International Peace and Positive Living Awareness Centre (UN PEPOLAC), Nigeria, Bishop Ozioma Festus Ozoemena; Executive Director, Creative Minds Centre for Youth and Community Development, Ugochi Freeman and Program Officer, Justice, Development and Peace Commission (JPDC), Mrs Onyekachi Ololo, pointed out that police has never prosecuted any culprit involved in perpetrating electoral violence in any law Court or punish such persons accordingly.

Igwe Emeka, for instance, emphasised that peace is critical for the conduct of any free, fair and credible election but expressed regret that politicians sponsor youth to carry out violence during elections, and that when the culprit is reported and arrested by the police, the person will be later freed t without making sure that he was prosecuted according to the law.

He lamented that when such person returns to the community, he or she will start terrorising those who reported him.

Bishop Ozoemena in his own contribution added that the police and other security agencies would always look away when vote-buying is going on at polling units, and, will rather provide shield to supporters of money-bags who buy votes at the polling units who probably had compromised them too.

A leader of Hausa community in Anambra State, Alhaji Bello Maigari, stated that they had always mobilised and encouraged their people to attend political rallies in the build-up to previous elections in every part of Anambra but lamented that they have not been able to attend such rallies since the build-up to the coming elections because of fear of being attacked.

He, however, assured that his people would participate during the voting except in three most volatile areas namely as Ihiala, Ayamelum and Awba-Ofemili communities in Awka-North local government area.