NGO links politicians, IPOB, police to killings in Anambra

A non-governmental organization (NGO), International Society for Civil Liberties and Rule of Law, have linked desperate politicians, the Indigenous Peoples of Biafra (IPOB) and police to recent killings in Anambra State.

The International Society for Civil Liberties and Rule of Law in a statement on Thursday by the Principal Officers who include Emeka Umeagbalalsi, Obianuju Igboeli Esq., and Chidimma Udegbunam, Esq., declared that investigative finding revealed that “rigger-politicians, former IPOB ‘Comrades’ (Renegades) and the Nigeria Police Force, have strong questions to answer about the new wave and maddening rate of killing of defenceless citizens and infliction of fears, panics and apprehensions on the general citizens of Anambra State.” The NGO stated that the latest dastardly acts are instigated towards scaring and chasing independent voters away from the polls to scientifically rig the November 6 governorship election in Anambra State.

The group argued that “as was the case in the November 2017 governorship election, the rigging, this time, is also perpetrated through ‘massive procurement and uploading of PVCs (as “valid votes cast”) as well as widespread vote-buying on Election Day”.

The International Society for Civil Liberties and Rule of Law disclosed that its recent investigation revealed that the results of the November 6 governorship election are already perfected and stored in secret safe custody, adding that the perpetrators of violence plot to ensure that more number of independent voters are scared away from voting. The NGO argued that the desperate politicians are also creating space to brighten the chances of million ballots tagged – dead votes – and ensure the rigging plot is successfully; then, work scare greater number of independent voters who are able or willing to vote from the polling units, to ensure the slim chances for the survival of the ‘dead votes’.

The International Society for Civil Liberties and Rule of Law in its report decried that the police, other security agencies have failed woefully to prevent killings in the state. The NGO, therefore, expressed its strong condemnation of the brutal killing of Dr. Chike Akunyili, husband of the late Prof. Dora Akunyili, a former Director-General of NAFDAC, and Minister of Information. “Strongly condemned, too, are other senseless killings and other forms of offensive violence in the state in recent weeks, leading to the death of not less than 10 unarmed citizens and burning of automobiles, etc.

“The competence and capacity of the Nigerian Government and its security forces to fish out those responsible are seriously in doubt.

“It particularly saddens our heart that the Nigerian security agencies, particularly, the Nigeria Police Force, have declared full war and enmity on innocent and defenceless citizens of the country and turned their publicly procured arms and ammunition and skills, if any, in aid and protection of criminal citizens and criminal entities,” the NGO declared.

The International Society for Civil Liberties and Rule of Law stated that at the Onitsha Niger Bridgehead, by Conoil Filling Station, for instance, Mobile Police Personnel of the Anambra State Police Command, supposedly deployed to checkmate the killings and other forms of offensive violence are busy chasing, harassing and extorting haulage vehicles, commercial passenger buses and private motorists as well as tricycles and pedestrians carrying food items.

The International Society for Civil Liberties and Rule of Law further condemned that role of out-service IPOB renegades. The NGO explained that by ‘Renegades’, it is referred to “a person or group of persons that deserts or desert and betrays or betrays an organisation and its set of principles or codes and chooses or chooses to operate outside the confines and dictates of the organisation”.

Therefore, those referred to as “former IPOB ‘Comrades” or “Renegades” are those that fell out with the mainstream IPOB and distanced themselves from the rules and principles of the Organisation such as principles forbidding the killing of unarmed and nonviolent civilian citizens, particularly, those of Judeo-Christian faith and ethnic identity, the NGO said.

It added: “they may also include some aggrieved former IPOB ‘Comrades’ who may have left and formed discreet variant “IPOB groups with ‘extremist radicalism’ such as indiscriminate use of offensive violence and resort to ostentatious materialism as their modus operandi.”

The International Society for Civil Liberties and Rule of Law maintained that they are best referred to as “out-service IPOB-ESN deviants”.

The International Society for Civil Liberties and Rule of Law pointed out that the involvement of the Nigerian Government in execution or hit squads for the purpose of impersonating, stigmatising and criminalising IPOB and ESN is also not ruled out. “Former IPOB ‘Comrades’ or Renegades are also behind the enforcement of the ‘Monday Sit-at-Home’ across Igbo Land despite the same being repeatedly banned or suspended by the leadership of IPOB,” The International Society for Civil Liberties and Rule of Law declared.

The NGO also specified alliance with rigger-politicians to rig Anambra poll as part of the stimulus for the killings in Anambra State.

According to the International Society for Civil Liberties and Rule of Law, “circumstantially aided by rigger-politicians ahead of the November 6 governorship election, former IPOB “Comrades” or Renegades are most likely to have access to arms and some converts from “ESN deviants” tutored in the knowledge of the use of small arms and light weapons.

“With the resort to indiscriminate use of small arms and other forms of offensive violence, anybody, including, the recently murdered Dr. Chike Akunyili, and some political parties’ agents and burning of their campaign vehicles, can be their targeted or collateral victims.

“Because they are semi-independent and not armed political thugs recruited, paid and controlled by rigger-politicians, controlling them, especially, in the area of use of arms and other forms of offensive violence may be difficult.

“Rigger-politicians may also be interested or restricted to using them to scare and chase away the majority of the voters to have a field day at “winning” with procured PVCs and votes “Therefore, in truth and fairness to IPOB leadership, the Organisation is not involved in the ongoing spate of killings and other forms of offensive violence in Anambra State.”

The International Society for Civil Liberties and Rule of Law further emphasized the Rigging strategies of the Anambra rigger-politicians. The NGO stated that the results of the Anambra November 2017 governorship poll were majorly a combination of scientific rigging and mechanical demography through massive vote-buying. The NGO added that they were too far from reflecting the true wishes of the majority of the independent and conscientious voters of the state residency.

The International Society for Civil Liberties and Rule of Law alleged: “The scientific rigging was perpetrated and perfected through widespread procurement of PVCs and uploading of same via INEC servers as “validly cast votes” and legitimised by thumb-printing of ballot papers in secret places to tally with the number of the uploaded PVCs. “This was to the extent that a total of 8,540 ballot papers could not be thump-printed, only for INEC to turn around and falsely declare them as “8,540 accredited voters who did not vote”.

The NGO further said that the scientific rigging and massive vote-buying, then, were made possible by IPOB’s declaration of “no more elections in Anambra State” as well as tensions, panics and fears created by security agencies deployed to the state through the issuance of security threats and show of force, forcing the majority of the voters to stay indoors.

“Today, rigger-politicians, the renegades and the security agencies, particularly, the Nigeria Police Force are back and at it again.

“They are not only creating fears and tensions but also aligning with offensive violent groups to scare conscientious voters away and allow rigger-politicians a field day to rig scientifically through procurement and uploading of PVCs and manually through massive thump-printing of ballot papers ahead of the Election and widespread vote-buying on Election Day.

“This is to the extent that one million “dead votes” may be lying somewhere in Imo State waiting for release in the morning of November 7 as “vsotes scored by a candidate that scored the highest lawful votes cast”, The International Society for Civil Liberties and Rule of Law declared.

The NGO argued that therefore, it may be correct to say that INEC’s facilities in Imo have already been in use before the announcement of intent to use the same facilities for the Anambra State governorship election.