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For those who ever believed in "Elelectoral Reform"

April 26, 2009

Colleagues and compatriots,
 
For those interested in the future of both electoral/police reform and freedom of information, the unfolding developments in Ekiti bear close monitoring.
 
Early yesterday afternoon, partisans of the ruling PDP set upon several independent monitors at the PDP gubernatorial campaign headquarters in Ado. The victims include:


 
(a) Dr. Abubakar Momoh, Associate Professor of Political Science, Lagos State University, LASU
 
(b) Dr. Azeez Olaniyan, Lecturer, Department of Political Science, Ekiti State University, Ado-Ekiti;
 
(c) Wahab Oyedokun, a lawyer on the staff of the National Human Rights Commission;
 
(d) Bimbo Olaniyan, Programme Officer with Action Aid; and
 
(e) three other volunteers from the Committee for the Defence of Human Rights (CDHR).
 
During the assault, the partisans tore the clothes on both Dr. Momoh and Wahab. The Police watched as they put used tyre around Wahab's neck. He barely stepped out of the tyre just as they crowd - under the nose of the police - were about to douse him with an accelerant and set him on fire.
 
The victims sought protection from police but were turned away and left to publicly suffer violence and beating. When the police eventually decided to intervene, they arrested the victims, not those that violated them and locked them up in Ado.
 
The police claim that these Nigerians were in Ekiti - wait for it - to undertake espionage for foreign countries by providing information on the Ekiti goverorship by-election!!!
 
All efforts to secure bail for them so far have failed. Last night, they were briefly granted bail to enable them get medical treatment but the bail was promptly revoked because the police claimed the grant of bail was not approved by a Superior Police Officer.
 
Now I understand they are in the process of being transferred to Abuja on allegations of espionage. The Police have seized their computers. They are accusing the victims of having used these computers to collect and send out to foreign countries results from the voting yesterday.
 
I understand meanwhile that these victims have not been allowed access to medical attention for the injuries suffered in the violent assault yesterday. The detainees were on their way to hospital last night following initial bail when they were re-arrested and remanded back and the original bail cancelled.
 
The Police operation in Ekiti is led by DIG Hamza Amadu, a leading candidate for the office of Deputy Inspector-General that is about to fall vacant with the retirement of IGP, Mike Okiro.
 
The Police Service Commission, which is responsible for police accountability, has a team in Ado-Ekiti, including Commissioner Dr. Otive Igbuzor who has tried unsuccessfully to intercede on behalf of the victims/detainees. The National Human Rights Commission also has a team on the ground, in addition to several leading civil society actors.
 
Moments ago, the police appear to have accepted an offer from the National Human Rights Commission to move the victims to Abuja in a car belonging provided by the National Human Rights Commission.
 
 
 

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