INEC chairman, Mahmood Yakubu
The Independent National Electoral Commission said it would prosecute the 215 case files in its docket out of the 774 persons arrested for various electoral offences by the Nigeria Police Force during the 2023 general elections.
INEC chairman, Yakubu Mahmoud, who was represented by the INEC Deputy Director of Prosecution, Nasara Auta, stated this during the monthly review forum on Human Rights and the 2023 elections organized by the National Human Rights Commission in Abuja.
Mahmoud noted that in recognition of the statutory power of INEC to prosecute electoral offences, the Inspector General of Police recently forwarded 215 case files on electoral crimes to the commission for prosecution of the perpetrators.
He said the commission was partnering with the Nigerian Bar Association for Pro Bono legal services for the effective prosecution of electoral offenders arrested during the 2023 general election.
Among the various grounds of arrest are dereliction of duty, criminal conspiracy, disorderly conduct at the election, possession of weapons, destruction of election materials, political thuggery, electoral violence, snatching of ballot boxes, stealing of sensitive election materials and others.
The Commandant General of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, Ahmed Audi, represented by the Commandant, Election Monitoring Unit of the NSCDC, Fatima-Binta Ilesanmi, reiterated that the Corps will continue to be professional and committed in the discharge of its mandates.
She called on the NHRC to be deliberate about bringing perpetrators of electoral and human rights offences to book to further strengthen the nation’s democracy adding that victims should be served justice regardless of the political, cultural and religious affiliations of the offenders.
Meanwhile, the National Human Rights Commission has called for the arrest and prosecution of those responsible for the attack on the former Vice Chancellor of the University of Sokoto, Prof. Abdullahi Zuru, in Adamawa State during the April 25 rerun election held in the state.
The Coordinator, MOVE project of the commission, Hillary Ogbonna, called on relevant authorities to ensure that those responsible for the attack are brought to book.
Prof. Zuru was attacked by a mob in Adamawa State on April 17 while on electoral duty as the National Commissioner from the North-West deployed to the state for the governorship election.
According to Ogbonna, te action of the INEC Resident Electoral Commissioner in Adamawa state, Ari Hudu, was an infringement on the collective rights of voters in the state and added that he should be made to face the full wrath of the law.
Source: Punch
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