Senate orders security agencies:  Apprehend perpetrators of electoral violence

The Senate on Tuesday asked security agencies to apprehend those behind the violence that marred the elections in Kogi and Bayelsa States.

This was one of the resolutions arrived at by the red chamber after the matter of the election was raised during plenary.

As shared via the verified Twitter handle of the Senate, Senator George Sekibo citing Orders 42 & 52 moved a motion on public electoral violence.

Reacting to the motion, Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe said, “We join them to condemn this electoral violence. People have been known to create violence and nothing has been done. What we should add is that law enforcement agencies must be up to the task.

“The husband of the woman that was killed in Kogi has identified those that committed the crime and they should be arrested. We will urge all legal instrument that can be used to be deployed to curb electoral violence.

Senator Abdullahi Yahaya  (Kebbi) also condemned the electoral violence. He said, “Irrespective of the party we belong to, our responsibility is to prevent and curb electoral violence. The security agencies should put good measures and punish the perpetrators of electoral violence.”

Thereafter, the Senate resolved to “condemn the spate of killings in the country; observe a minute silence in honour of those that lost their lives in the just concluded elections in Bayelsa and Kogi States.

“Urge the NOA and INEC to carry out electoral violence advocacy campaigns in subsequent elections and urge security agencies to apprehend perpetrators of this violence.”

Commenting on  the motion, the Senate President, Ahmad Lawan said, “This is a very important motion, no party is absolved from this and we should continue to enlighten our followers to see politics as a game of ideas, people should pay price for their actions.”