Senate Urges IGP To Arrest, Prosecute Killers Of PDP Woman Leader In Kogi
…Condemns killings in Bayelsa, Kogi polls
BY VICTOR BUORO, ABUJA – Nine days after the sordid, gruesome and brutal killing of the Woman Leader of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), in Kogi State, Late Mrs Salome Abuh, the Senate on Tuesday called on the Inspector-General of Police to arrest and prosecute her killers.
This is as the Senate while observing a one minute silence in honour of Mrs Abuh, unanimously condemned in strong terms the electoral violence in Bayelsa and Kogi.
In a motion 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, noted that political thuggery increased in 2019 compared to previous elections.
He said that privileged politicians use either armed thugs or security agents to disrupt smooth electioneering process, stressing that the recent violence witnessed during and after elections in Bayelsa and Kogi States, called to question the credibility of the electoral process in Nigeria.
In the words of Senator Sekibo; “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.
“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 sponsored by Senator Oluremi Tinubu (Lagos Central), with the titled; “2019 International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women,” the lawmaker said that violence against women and girls remains the most pervasive human right violation, stressing that there is no justification whatsoever for acts of violence such as rape against women.
She condemned the brutal 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.
Tinubu noted that cases of violence against women and minors reached an all-time-high in 2019.
According to her; “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 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.
The Senate accordingly 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 Senate felicitated with Nigerian Women on this year’s International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women.
