•N853million property destroyed
•Report indicts security agencies
The final report of the Commission of Inquiry that investigated the politically motivated 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.
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.
Source:DAILY TRUST
