2023 elections: Police hand over 215 electoral offenders’ files to INEC

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) said it will prosecute the 215 case files, out of the 774 persons arrested for various electoral offences by the Police during the 2023 general elections.

In a message to the monthly review forum on Human Rights and the 2023 elections organized by the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) in Abuja, the Chairman of INEC, Professor Yakubu Mahmoud stated that it is in recognition of the statutory power of INEC to prosecute electoral offences that the Inspector General of Police recently forwarded 215 case files on electoral crimes to the commission for prosecution of the perpetrators.

Represented by the Deputy Director, Prosecution of the commission, Mr Nasara Haruna Auta, the INEC Chairman said the commission was partnering with the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) for Pro Bono legal services for the effective prosecution of electoral offenders arrested during the 2023 general election.

He said the 774 persons were arrested during the 2023 general elections for various shades of electoral offences, including dereliction of duty, criminal conspiracy, disorderly conduct at the election, being in possession of offensive weapons, destruction of election materials, political thuggery, electoral violence, snatching of ballot boxes, stealing of sensitive election materials, among others.

The Commandant-General of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, (NSCDC) Ahmed Abubakar 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 and intentional about bringing perpetrators of electoral and human rights offences to book in order to further strengthen the nation’s democracy and ensure that victims are served justice regardless of the political, cultural and religious affiliations of the offenders.

Meanwhile, the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) 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 Abdul Zuru in Adamawa State during the April 25 rerun election held in the state.

The Coordinator MOVE project of the Commission, Mr Hillary Ogbonna, who represented the Executive Secretary of the Commission, Chief Tony Ojukwu (SAN) called on relevant authorities to ensure that those responsible for the attack are brought to book.

Professor Zuru was attacked by a mob in Adamawa State on April 17 while on duty for the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) as the National Commissioner from the North-West, deployed to the state for the governorship election.

According to Ogbonna, the action of the INEC Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) in Adamawa state, Mr 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.

 

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