Usman Baba, the Inspector General of Police, informed us yesterday during a meeting with the leaders of the major political parties that 52 violent election crimes had been reported in the previous six weeks.

Several well-known politicians were present, including Omoyele Sowore, the presidential candidate, Felix Maki, the publicity secretary of the All Progressive Congress, and Iyorchia Ayu, the head of the People’s Democratic Party. Director-General of the National Intelligence Agency and the Defence Intelligence Agency, Maj. Gen. Samuel Adebayo.

The Nigerian Police Force, the DSS, the Nigerian Army, the Civil Defense Corps, and the Federal Fire Service would work together, Baba said. They would try to ensure that future elections would be conducted well.

For the individuals who promote hate speech, encourage violence, organize thugs, and commit other offences, they would mobilize the fast arrest, investigation, and punishment of offenders under the conditions of Sections 92 and 93 of the Electoral Act 2022 as modified.

Against Politically Motivated Violence

The governors and politicians with personal stakes in the outcome of the election who finance political thugs to encourage violence received criticism from the inspector general of police.

He informed the audience about the many forms of political violence by describing the pattern that had emerged in earlier years.

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The first kind was directed at the electoral body and its resources, as was the case later in the states of Osun and Ogun. Usman Baba noted that since the formal start of the campaigns for the 2023 general election on September 28, 2022, at least 52 incidences of this politically driven intra- and inter-party violence had been documented throughout 22 states.

He also emphasised that people who are guilty of committing electoral crimes would be brought to the books; “Henceforth, therefore, we shall put machinery in motion that will in the most proactive manner identify, isolate, apprehend, and bring any political actor and the foot soldiers they might be motivating to engage in violence at political rallies or any other political engagement to deserved justice”