URGENT NEED FOR SECURITY ALERT ON RENEWED VIOLENCE IN OSUN STATE IN THE BUILD UP TO 2014 GUBERNATORIAL ELECTION

CENTRE FOR RIGHTS AND GRASSROOTS INITIATIVE (CRGI)

                                                            1a Fadeyi Street, Ikeja, Lagos.

Email: centreforrightsgi@gmail.com

                                                            Telephone: 08078012999, 07033853232

22/07/2013.

Alhaji M. D. Abubakar,

The Inspector General of Police,

Nigeria Police Force,

Force Headquarters Louis Edet House,

Abuja.

Dear Sir,

PUBLIC PETITION

URGENT NEED FOR SECURITY ALERT ON RENEWED VIOLENCE IN OSUN STATE IN THE BUILD UP TO 2014 GUBERNATORIAL ELECTION

Political violence in Nigeria

The Centre for Rights and Grassroots Initiative (CRGI) wish to draw your attention for urgent action recent media reports of renewed violence by enemies of progress and democracy in Osun State in the build up to the gubernatorial election in 2014.

As a responsible civil society organization which is desirous of a peaceful and orderly society, we are particularly disturbed that the peace, tranquility, progress and development which the good people of Osun state have been privileged to enjoy in the last three years is being undermined by some unscrupulous elements.

We at (CRGI) urgently request investigation and prosecution of those responsible for the violence that claimed the life of one Sunday Olagoke during a meeting of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Edunabon ward 1 in Ife North Local Government Area where members of two factions of the party attempted to change the party leadership in the area in favour of a particular gubernatorial candidate, (Daily Independent, July 5, 2013, pg 3).

We are also calling for investigation and prosecution of those responsible for a similar violence reported in the same paper and page that members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) allegedly unleashed terror on Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) members at a rally in Yekemi Abata in Ife East local government resulting in physical injuries to persons. However, the Osun state police command must be commended for responding swiftly in arresting some of the hired thugs who perpetrated the violence.

Other cases of violence which are becoming increasingly worrisome and inimical to our society and democracy are the bloody clash that ensued between factional members of one of the PDP governorship aspirants, Iyiola Omosore and his rival from Osun West, Elder Peter Babalola, where a Divisional Police Officer (DPO) was knocked down in the crisis in Ikire, Irewole Local Government Council Area of the state, in an attempt to arrest the political hoodlums.

Recently more that 20 people were seriously injured in a fracas that ensued among members of the PDP in Iwo, Headquarters of Iwo Local Government Council Area of the state and the state executives of the PDP, who wanted to inaugurate the party’s new executive council in the council area.

There was also a bloody clash recently in Irojo in Ilesa-East Local Government Council Area of the state, where one person was reportedly killed, while many were injured. Those injured were hospitalized at the Obafemi Awolowo University Teaching Hospital Complex (OAUTHC) in Ile-Ife.

We have observed that this orgy violence is being perpetrated by desperate politicians from a particular political party whose idea of politics is do or die rather than service to the people, which must be curtailed. It is in the larger interest of our society and democracy that these agents of evil are arrested and prosecuted so as to send a warning signal to others and their sponsors, that any act inimical to the peace and tranquility of the society will be met with the full weight of the law.

Sir, we are hereby imploring you to use your good office to urgently beef up security in Osun state and put in place the necessary mechanism for investigation in order to ensure that the perpetrators of this breach of public peace and their sponsors are prosecuted according to the constitution and in the overall interest of our people and democracy.