RIVERS GOVT SETS UP PANEL TO PROBE KILLINGS, DESTRUCTION OF LG SECRETARIATS
Read Time:4 Minute, 9 Second
A seven-person Judicial Commission of Inquiry has been established by Rivers Governor Siminalayi Fubara to look into property destruction, murders, and arson at several local government council secretariats throughout the state.
Tuesday, Fubara gave the commission its official opening in the Executive Chambers of Government House in Port Harcourt.
Justice Ibiwengi Roseline Minakiri leads the commission, which has one month to complete its work. Mrs. Inyingi Brown serves as its secretary, and Uzor Ikenga serves as its counsel.
Other members are Felicia Nwoke, Prof. Blessing Didia, Sir Samuel Egbe, and Venerable Alex Usifor.
The governor claimed that the recent assaults and burning of council secretariats appeared to be a recurrence of events that occurred in 2014, just months before the general elections in 2015, when courts in Rivers State were forced to close due to arson, home bombings, and fatalities.
Fubara declared that his government would not stand by while misguided teenagers and politically backed goons turn the state into a violent theatre without being held accountable for their crimes against the state.
He said: “So, I have decided to take this action to find out the immediate and remote causes of this arson, most importantly, no matter the personalities involved, we must bring them to book.
READ ALSO:
POLICE CONFIRMS FREEDOM OF EIGHT KIDNAPPED VICTIMS IN KEBBI, SEARCH FOR DISTRICT HEAD CONTINUES
“So, this assignment is very important. It is an assignment that, if it is not done rightly, would give the enemies of this State opportunity to continue.
“And if we are right, it is going to be the end of further destruction of public property in the State. I know it is going to be very tasking. I can assure you that there will be threats, but you have to be strong”.
According to Fubara, the commission of investigation should have been established sooner rather than later because of incidents that have occurred since his administration took office.
He stated that a similar incident had occurred somewhere in the past, around October 2023, and he had chosen to let go since he believed that everyone belonged to the same political family.
He continued, saying that it seemed impossible to resolve any internal conflicts because of the ongoing violence and disagreements amongst coworkers.
Fubara said: “It has become very clear that rather than getting close to the path of peace, this State is gradually turning into a kingdom where law and order is no longer the order of the day. And we cannot fold our hands and allow such thing to happen.
“On the 5th of October, 2024, about four days ago, we had an election in this State. Before the election, we also heard from a lot of quarters, songs of war, (and) threats but we never took them seriously because we believed that a local government election is a prerogative of the State Government. It has nothing to do with anybody anywhere that is outside the confinement of our State.
“And for that reason, we believed strongly that whatever it is, we could manage it to produce the purpose of that election.
“But, it is very unfortunate that after the election, even while the election was going on, several things happened, which we managed, thinking it was going to end there.
“The day after the election, there were also more threats from people, and we also thought it was just a normal threat, believing that it was not going to be out of hand but it did.”
Fubara assured the commission’s members that God had not erred in selecting them for the task at hand.
He reminded them that history would not forget the task they were given and advised them to approach it with the intention of attaining its goal.
According to Fubara, the assignment’s parameters are to “identify the individuals or groups responsible for the attacks on some local government council headquarters and the harm caused to citizens, as well as determine the underlying causes of the violence.”
“Evaluate the extent of damage to property, infrastructure, and human lives and estimate the financial losses incurred.
“Examine whether the violence was politically motivated, and if so, identify the key players and their roles in instigating the violence.
“Assess the effectiveness of the security agencies’ response to the violence and identify areas for improvement.
“Investigate the actions of individuals and groups involved in the violence in the face of the relevant laws, including the Violence Against Persons (Prohibition) Act, 2015, etc.
“Advise on adequate compensation and support for victims and their families, as well as measures to prevent future occurrences.
“Make recommendations on long-term strategies to prevent similar incidents in the future, including recommendations for policy reforms, community engagement, and conflict resolution mechanisms.
“Recommend appropriate sanctions for individuals and groups found culpable.
“Make other relevant recommendations in light of its findings which the commission may consider appropriate,” and also mandated the commission to submit its report within “one month.
Happy
0 %
Sad
0 %
Excited
0 %
Sleepy
0 %
Angry
0 %
Surprise
0 %
0
0