killings and damage to property before, during and after the 2015 general elections
came out with startling revelations.
Daily Trust on Sunday exclusively obtained a copy
and serves you the highlights
No fewer than 95 cases of killings were reported to the Commission of Inquiry set up
to investigate politically motivated killings and damage to property before, during and
after the 2015 general elections in Rivers State, the Commission said in its final report.
The killings according to the report, a copy of which Daily Trust on Sunday exclusively
obtained, occurred between November 15, 2014 and April 11 2015 when the elections
were held.
An overview of the findings contained in the report of the Commission of Inquiry which
was chaired by Chairman of the National Human Rights Commission, Professor Chidi
Odinkalu, showed an average of 19 killings per month during the five months under
review.
The Commission of Inquiry to investigate politically motivated killings and damage to
property before, during and after the 2015 general elections in Rivers State was
established by the former Governor of the State, Rotimi Amaechi on April 7, 2015.
Among its terms of reference the seven-member commission was also mandated to
investigate and ascertain the number of persons injured or threatened with injury;
ascertain properties destroyed, their owners and the value as well as to identify person
(s), groups or institutions who either by acts of omission or commission were directly
and indirectly involved or sponsored the violence and killings.
The findings of the Commission further revealed that 93 cases of injuries were recorded
during the period out of which 12 representing 13 percent occurred before the election
period while 81 injuries representing 87 percent of cases took place during the election
period.
Similarly the inquiry received evidence of 83 incidents of destruction of property,
including acts of vandalism or arson on both movable and immovable property. Out of
this number, six incidents representing seven percent occurred before the election while
77 incidents representing 93 percent occurred during the election.
“In total 275 different violations involving killings, injuries to persons or destruction were
reported to the inquiry. As proportions of this total, killing constitute 35 percent while
injuries and destruction of property constitute 34 percent and 31 percent respectively”,
the report said.
An assessment of the properties destroyed during the period under review as contained
in the report showed that properties valued at N853, 635.50 were destroyed in two
flash point local government areas namely Etche and Ogba-Egbema. While N53,
195,350 worth of properties were reportedly destroyed in Etche local government area,
Ogba-Egbema recorded destruction to property estimated at N32, 170,000.
Report indicts security agencies
The report indicated that the commission of inquiry received ample evidence to the
effect that security agencies were unwilling or unable to attend to incidents of political
violence. “The attitude of the security agencies that the inquiry encountered was largely
defensive, tending towards avoidance of the subject. This corroborated the perception
of institutional indifference, reluctance or avoidance as reported by most witnesses”, the
report said.
According to the report the inquiry received considerable evidence from many witnesses
who were forced by the violence to flee their communities into displacement. “They fled
to different places such as the bush, the State capital (Port Harcourt) or neighboring
states or communities”, the report stated.
Although incidents of political violence involving violence or rape were not directed to
the inquiry due to perceived fear of stigma on the part of victims, the commission said
the testimony brought before it by the state commissioner for social welfare and
rehabilitations, Mr. Joe Philips Poroma suggested that sexual assault may have been an
instrument of political violence in Rivers State during the 2015 general elections.
In his testimony to the inquiry, Mr. Poroma revealed a high incidence of sexual trauma
affecting young women and girls in the state. Describing the pattern of sexual violence
in the state as “intolerable and very high” Mr. Poroma told the commission that the
state had an average daily rate of 10 cases of rape which increased during the election
period.
In a swift response to this testimony, the humanitarian organization, Doctors Without
Borders which was said to have pulled out of the state at the end of 2012 reportedly
returned during the election period to address the trauma of sexual violence among
women and young girls.
Proffering solutions in addressing political violence in Nigeria, the commission said it
was necessary to do away with the culture of impunity and restore credibility and public
trust in the role of elected political office holders.
“Given this problem, the inquiry recommends that the National Council of States should
play a significant role in restoring public confidence in political leadership in Nigeria. The
constitutional role of the council is essentially ‘to advice the president whenever
requested to do so on the maintenance of public order within the federation or any part
thereof’ which is broad enough to cover the subject of political violence”, the report
recommended.
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