The Nigeria Civil Society Situation room said an estimated 626 persons were killed across Nigeria between the start of the 2019 electioneering campaigns and the commencement of the general and supplementary elections.
The electioneering campaigns commenced in October 2018, while the last of the elections were held in March 2019.
The civil society coalition group which disclosed this on Tuesday at the release of its final report on the 2019 elections in Abuja, said that the number increased compared to the 106 killed in the 2015 general elections.
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) conducted the presidential and National Assembly elections on February 23, while governorship and state assembly elections were held on March 9.
”Situation Room is deeply worried about the spike in politically motivated killings in the period leading up to the elections,
”At least, 626 people were said to have been killed between the start of the campaign in October 2018 and the final election in March 2019, ” the coalition observer group said.
According to the report, the North-west region recorded the highest number of deaths with 172 killed during the elections, while the North-east followed with 146 fatalities.
The report showed that the South-south and North-central had 120 and 111 fatalities respectively, while sixty-three people were killed in the South-west, while 14 were killed in the South-east.
Also, the report revealed that Benue, Borno, Kaduna, Rivers, and Zamfara led with the highest casualties during the elections, as only a few of the perpetrators of the election violence were arrested by Nigeria security agencies.
However, the mostly young people caught up in the electoral violence are being arrested and hounded by security agents loyal to top Nigerian politicians who perceived that those who are not in their political camp are their enemies.
In states like Benue, Ebonyi, Edo, Imo, Lagos, Kano, Rivers and Akwa Ibom where election violence was recorded, many young persons are missing and could not be accounted for, as some families still search for loved ones since 2018, in the build up to the 2019 election.
Apart from the killings that occurred during the 2019 general elections, there were also many incidents of ballot box snatching, assaults, intimidation, harassment and abductions.
One family told The Nigerian Observer that, the police tracked their 31years old son, one Ilenikhena Peter Odion from Osun State where he went for a plumbing job in August 2018, to Edo state where he resides.
For fear of being picked up by security agents, Ilenikhena Peter Odion has since gone into hiding, as he is accused of working with an opposition politician for the 2018 governorship election that was characterised by violence, irregularities and police brutality.
“He (Ilenikhena Peter Odion) works as a plumber, and also do electrical jobs. But, since he came back from the job he went for in Osun state, strange faces do come asking after him, even at night when we are already in bed. One time in November 2018 the police break into the house by 4.am and did not see him, only for one of them to say he was lucky not to be at home”, one family member told our reporter in Benin City, Edo state capital in January.
Many, especially young people fled the country within the period under review (October 2018 to March 2019) to escape political prosecution to where they can freely express their rights, considering their lack of trust for security agencies to protect their interests.
Also, the European Union Election Observation Mission (EU EOM) in its 2019 election report said about 150 people were killed in election-related violence in different parts of the country.
”The elections became increasingly marred by violence and intimidation. This harmed the integrity of the electoral process and may deter future participation.
”Around 150 people died in election-related violence during the campaign period and over the election days. INEC reported attacks on its offices, and also fatalities, abductions and sexual assault against its officials.” the EU report stated.
The CSOs, however, suggested that the country’s electoral body and security agencies should ensure accountability for acts harmful to the credibility and integrity of the election
