Families and victims of 39 slain Nigerians seek justice – 2023 Elections

Thursday, 30 March 2023, 8:06 am

The victims of electoral violence that occurred during the 2023 Nigerian general elections are yet to receive justice.

Reports indicate that at least 39 people lost their lives in various states, including Lagos, Abia, Nasarawa, Benue, Akwa Ibom, Osun, and Taraba. Among the dead were police officers, politicians, hired thugs, and an ad hoc staff of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

The Centre for Democracy and Development (CDD) has identified violence as a significant factor that undermined INEC’s performance during the elections. CDD also reported that 10.8% of observed polling units recorded violence, resulting in low voter turnout in some states.

The motive of the perpetrators of violence during the elections was to disrupt the election process. Voters were disenfranchised as a result of having their ballot boxes snatched. The Nigeria Police Force (NPF) reported that it arrested a total of 781 people for various offenses during the elections.

The Inspector General of Police, Usman Baba, said about 66 firearms of various descriptions were also recovered from political thugs during the period. Baba assured that the Police would collaborate with INEC to ensure that all electoral offenders are prosecuted.

However, despite the number of electoral violence witnessed across the country, none of the victims have come forward to push for the prosecution of those behind the act, a situation believed to be a demonstration of a lack of confidence in the system.

Victims of electoral violence reserve the right to push for justice, and a human rights activist and lawyer, Maduabuchi Idam, has emphasized the need for them to fight for justice. The victims can maintain a personal action against the act, but there is no compensation for victims of electoral violence.

The actual perpetrators who committed the act can be prosecuted, but the victims can seek redress in a conventional civil court for those actions because it’s a violation of their rights, even though the right to vote and be voted for is not captured in the constitution.