Job Osazuwa
They were supposed to be seamless and orderly democratic procedures, but the 2019 presidential and National Assembly elections, as well as the governorship and House of Assembly polls were characterised by violence and loss of lives.
Even as winners announced by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) sang and danced in delight and excitement, there was weeping and wailing in the homes of those that lost their loved ones.
The 2019 elections witnessed violent incidents in many places. In their desperate bid to win, many contestants and their fanatical followers threw caution to the wind. Thugs and hoodlums were employed to kill and maim, and blood flowed freely in many states of the country.
Despite President Muhammadu Buahri’s sound warning that thugs that attempted to snatch ballot boxes could lose their lives in the process, open violence and hooliganism still reigned in many polling units across the country.
Among the states that witnessed acts of violence were Rivers, Nasarawa, Bayelsa, Anambra, Oyo, Kogi, Benue, Bauchi, Plataeu, Kano, Sokoto and Lagos. Many lives were lost in some of the states. Elections were suspended in some of the volatile areas, while there was cancellation of results in some other places.
Desperate politicians with evil motives have been blamed for the recurring killings during elections in the country. Many are of the opinion that if those seeking political offices do so with the sole aim of serving the people, the extreme anxieties displayed by the people would not arise.
Concerned Nigerians have kicked against the sad development and described violence and killings as retrogressive steps in Nigeria’s quest for a formidable democracy.
For instance, on the day of the presidential election, videos of shootings at different scenes surfaced on the social media. The sound of the sophisticated guns could send a chill into the electorate.
But the violence witnessed during the presidential election were child’s play compared with what occurred during the governorship and state assembly elections.
At least, 11 persons, including a soldier, were confirmed dead in Rivers State alone during the elections, while many were inflicted with varied injuries. The two major political parties, Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and All Progressives Congress (APC), as well as the Nigerian Army, engaged each other in counter-accusations. Some INEC ad hoc staff ran away when thugs stormed a particular polling unit in Ahoada East Local Government Area of Rivers State.
In many other states, the hired thugs also struck, leaving tears, blood and death behind as footprints of their infamy.
“I have an uncle who flew his wife and all his four children to Canada shortly before the first scheduled date for the presidential and National Assembly elections. He told me that he could not risk having his family in Nigeria after watching and listening to how the politicians were threatening fire and brimstone.
“Nigerian politicians have turned elections to war. You cannot blame people who are afraid during every election season because politicians always spoil for war. It is something that is done peacefully in advanced countries but Nigeria is still far from it,” said Osaro Ighayere, a 300 level student of Economics and Statistics at the University of Benin, Edo State.
In Kogi State, one Abu John Simon was killed by people suspected to be security agents. They shot him and another person for trying to stop them from carting away ballot boxes at Olamaboro. It was learnt that some security agents allegedly accompanied some thugs to the Ugojo unit, where a particular party was leading. A popular politician in the area was said to have led the thugs and security agents, carting away ballot boxes in an area believed to have been won by his opponent.
In Osun State, one Shakir was allegedly shot in Ede North Local Government by a soldier for preventing them from taking away the ballot box. The victim was rushed to the emergency ward of a teaching hospital in the state, where he remained in a critical condition for days. He was said to have lost two fingers and his private part to the bullets. A witness said scores of others were harassed and molested by military men at the unit.
In Ibadan, the Oyo State capital, Temitope Olatoye, popularly known as Sugar, a serving federal lawmaker representing Lagelu/Akinyele Federal Constituency of Oyo State at the House of Representatives, was shot dead by yet-unidentified gunmen. Although he was rushed to the Accident and Emergency Centre of the University College Hospital (UCH), Ibadan, he did not survive the wounds.
UCH’s spokesperson, Toye Akinrinlola, while confirming the death in Ibadan, said Olatoye died from gunshot injuries while still in the hospital’s ICU.
The deceased contested and lost the February 23 senatorial election in Oyo State on the platform of the Action Democratic Party to the former Senate Leader, Kolawole Folarin.
It was gathered that Sugar, who was shot in the eye, was coming from his Igbo Elerin village around Lagelu, where he had gone to vote. Sources said Sugar and another politician in the area had had a clash over the election, where the lawmaker allegedly shot and killed a boy. Many noted that the shooting that led to his death was most likely to avenge the boy’s death.
Two hours earlier, one Mudasiru, who was a staunch supporter of a political party in the state, was allegedly shot dead by a police officer in Ile Titun, Ibadan South East Local Government Area. The victim, who was in his late 20s, was said to be jubilating over the victory of his party, when the officer fired the shot that hit hium in the back and ruptured his intestines.
According a witness, the boy was rushed to a traditional healing home in Ita Ege for the extraction of the bullets. But he gave up, having lost too much blood while the traditionalist was performing his rituals.
In Enugu, the state police command has commenced investigation into the alleged shooting to death of Osondu Odoh, a 30-year-old supporter of a senator in the state.
Spokesman for the command, Ebere Amaraizu, a superintendent of police, who confirmed the death, said Odoh was not an election observer as initially circulated by some platforms.
“The command has commenced a full-scale investigation into the alleged shooting and death of one Osondu Odoh on Saturday, March 9. The circumstances surrounding the incident are being investigated. The deceased’s body has been deposited at the mortuary,” he said.
In Anambra State, the police confirmed the killing of two persons in the Obosi area. The police also confirmed that a total of 47 persons were arrested for various electoral offences, ranging from disruption of elections, malicious damage, thuggery, assault and unlawful possession of firearms.
A source in Obosi said that the killings took place on the day of the election when armed thugs attempted to hijack election results at Umuota Obosi area. He said the thugs stormed the area in a commercial bus at about 5pm and were trying to compel the INEC team to hand over the electoral materials to them when the two were gunned down.
But a statement issued by Haruna Mohammed, the police command’s public relations officer, stated that the killings resulted from a clash between two rival cult factions. He added that police had commenced investigations to unmask the killers whom he said fled after killing their victims.
The PPRO further stated that the command recorded another incident of shooting and disruption of voting at Agulu township polling unit. He said that three suspects were arrested and a locally made pistol with live ammunition recovered from them.
“Another shooting incident took place at Nwanebo Primary School 1 and 2 inside Immaculate Heart Catholic Church premises, Uga, in Ekwulobia, involving two private security guards of the church following a scuffle. One of the security guards, Ngozi Goodwill, shot his colleague, one M.O. Justice Anyadike, aged 26 years in his leg.
“The bullets of the expended cartridges also brushed five other persons who came to vote at the polling booth and they sustained minor injuries and were treated. The principal suspects were arrested and two pump action rifles, seven live cartridges and one expanded cartridge were recovered,” he said.
Also, during the governorship and House of Assembly elections, a presiding officer, Meniri Njideka of Nawfia, was allegedly abducted at Afor market square unit Mbaukwu in Awka South LGA.
“Other offences recorded included thuggery at Nri in Anaocha LGA, Umouji ward in Ogidi and Nteje, where the command responded promptly and effected some arrests. Exhibits recovered included two double-barrel guns, one locally made pistol, four live ammunition and three expanded ammunition. Other exhibits are One Toyota Hilux, one L300 Bus, 291 ballot papers, one motorcycle, some dry leaves suspected to be cannabis sativa and cash worth N173,420,” he said.