SP Ahmed Lawan
Senate
SP Ahmed Lawan
Senate condemns killings in Bayelsa, Kogi
elections
…Calls on Police IG to arrest, prosecute killers of PDP women
leader*
…Holds a minute silence in honour of PDP women leader
The Senate on Tuesday unanimously condemned electoral violence,
particularly killings in the Kogi and Bayelsa states’ elections,
following consideration of two motions during the plenary.
The upper chamber, while calling on the Inspector-General of
Police to arrest and prosecute the killers of the Women Leader of
the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) in Kogi State, Mrs. Salome Abu,
held a minute silence in honour of the deceased.
In one of the motions titled “Curbing Electoral Violence”, its
sponsor, Senator George Thompson Sekibo (PDP, Rivers East), quoting
the National Human Rights Commission said about 58 people were
killed in 61 incidents of election violence across 22 states in the
country between January and February, 2015.
He observed that political thuggery increased in 2019 compared
to previous elections, adding that privileged politicians use
either armed thugs or security agents to disrupt smooth
electioneering process.
According to him, the recent violence witnessed during and after
the elections in Bayelsa and Kogi States has called to question the
credibility of the electoral process in Nigeria.
Sekibo said that “the resultant effect of the electoral mayhem
would reduce the credibility of our electoral process and deepen
hatred as well as widen the gap of our unity”.
He added, “The country’s electoral management body is not strong
enough to withstand the pressure exerted by the political system
and the electoral misconducts that accompany it continue to
threaten the deepening of democratization process.
“This negative effect of electoral violence in the country would
continue to reduce the citizens’ confidence in the Democratic
process as well as heighten the fears of possible democratic
collapse.”
In another motion titled “2019 International Day for the
Elimination of Violence Against Women”, sponsored by Senator
Oluremi Tinubu (APC, Lagos Central), the lawmaker said “violence
against women and girls is the most pervasive human right
violation.”
According to her, there was no justification whatsoever for acts
of violence such as rape against women.
The lawmaker condemned the recent killing of Mrs. Salome Abu,
the death of Ochanya Elizabeth Ogbanje, a 13 year old who died as a
result of sexual violence and rape, and BBC sex for grade saga.
She lamented that cases of violence against women and minors
reached an all-time-high in the year 2019.
“The recent slave camps discovered in Kano, Oyo and Kaduna
states where young boys are held as slaves and constantly raped by
those who were meant to take care of them show that our women,
minors both male and female are no longer safe in our communities,
homes, schools, worship places,” Tinubu said.
The lawmaker added that the launch of the Sexual Offenders
Register by concerned stakeholders is a major step against the
menace that has bedeviled the nation.
The Sexual Offenders Register is a data base of all sexual
offenders categorized as those who have been convicted and those
linked with sexual offences.
Accordingly, the Senate urged States yet to domesticate the
Child Rights Act (2003) and the Violence Against Persons
Prohibition Act (VAPP 2015) to do so for the socio-economic
development of their respective states.
The upper chamber also felicitated with Nigerian Women on this
year’s International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against
Women.
Signed:
Ezrel Tabiowo
Special Assistant (Press)
to President of the Senate