The Civil Rights and
Development Organisation (CRIDO) received several petitions touching on the
rights of citizens during the last April 2003 general elections in Nigeria. These petitions were considered on their merits
after due investigations and consultations, and with background information
collected from two Ikwerre groups in respect to such violation of rights in Ikwerre Land during the elections; these groups are The Ikwerre
Youth Convention (IYC) and The Congress for the Liberation of Ikwerre People
(COLIP).
Ikwerre is the largest
ethnic group in Rivers State and occupies four Local Government Areas in the
State, namely; Ikwerre, Emouhua, Obio/Akpor and Port Harcourt L.G.A�s and had
its son Chief Sergeant Awuse as a Governorship candidate of the leading
opposition party, the All Nigeria People�s Party (ANPP), who not only enjoyed
the sympathy and support of the Ikwerre people but also that of other Rivers
people and was favoured by the opinion polls conducted by various organizations
and groups to win the Governorship elections in Rivers State.
The singular fact that Chief
Awuse was considered a winning candidate, informed the background of the
organized State violence unleashed on the Ikwerre people in their land.
REFERENCE CASES: -
- UBIMA COMMUNITY
Ubima
community is in Ikwerre L.G.A and the following members of the community were
attacked, arrested, unlawful detained and tortured. Some of the affected people
are;
(a)
Chinedu Wakpa, Goodluck Amadi, Sam
Ikegwuru, Nkem Wosa etc, they were
arrested on April 12, 2003, the day for the National Assembly elections by a
Para-military squad, drawn from the Operation Fire for Fire and were detained
and tortured from the said April 12 � 23, 2003.
- UBIMINI COMMUNITY
Ubimini community in
Emouhua L.G.A, on the said April 12, 2003 elections of the National Assembly,
the Supervisory Presiding Officer (SPO), Mr. Obinna Nwordu
arrived the community at about 2.30 pm without the unit result sheets, (Form
EC8A) and the voters who had waited since 8 am demanded for the said sheets
and the said SPO could not explain their whereabouts, as the argument eschewed
a team of Mobile Policemen from the operation Fire for Fire arrived the community
and in full co-operation with PDP agents unleashed terror on the agents and
members of the ANPP. The Police shot Mr. ThankGod Nweanyi, an ANPP agent
on the chest and he died on the spot. See pages 1 & 2 of the Independent
Monitor Newspapers of April 21 � 23, 2003, in addition, 19 persons were
arrested and detained from the said April 12 � My 6, 2003, while two Mr.
Ebenezer Amadi and Mr. Didi Isu were injured and permanently maimed for
life as a result of bullet wounds.
- EGBEDA COMMUNITY
Egbeda community in Emouhua L.G.A, on the same said April 12, 2003, a young man, Mr. Amos Akpalu (22 years old)
an ANPP member was shot by armed thugs brought into the town by Mr. Ebenezer
Omereji, a member of the Rivers State Civil Service Commission, and he died on
the spot.
- RUMUIGBO COMMUNITY
Rumuigbo community in Obio/Akpor L.G.A, on the said
April 12, 2003, no elections took place as no voting materials were made
available to the community, the people determined to exercise their civic and
statutory rights, demanded for the said voting materials from the INEC
Officials and in response the Police arrested two community Leaders, Hon.
Noble Chukwumati and Mr. Victor Ezebaraba, further to this, the Mercedes
Benz car of Hon. Noble Chukwymati was taken to the Office of the Operation
Fire for Fire which is situated in the Old G.R.A area of Port Harcourt.
- OGBUMNUABALI COMMUNITY
Ogbumnuabali community in the Port Harcourt L.GA,
on April 12, 2003, no
elections held in the community as no voting materials were brought into the
community by the INEC, persons were injured while others were arrested and
taken into detention cells created and maintained by the Operation Fire for
Fire. The detained persons in all these cases were neither arraigned before any
court of competent jurisdiction nor were they treated decently while in
detention. Those arrested, tortured and detained are, Mr. Chinda Orlu, Mr.
Oke Woke, Mr. Chiwe Onunwo, Miss.
Chile
Wike, Mr. Godfrey Worgu and Mr. Felix Opara.
6.
OMAGWA COMMUNITY
In Omagwa community in
Ikwerre L.G.A, on the day of the National Assembly elections of April 12, 2003,
the Operation Fire for Fire squad entered the community and shot rapidly into
the air and crowd as the people protested the non availability of election materials
and in the process Mr. Dedus Ofor was beaten and injured by PDP thugs
led by one Ndubuisi, the PDP councillorship candidate for the area under the
watchful eyes of members of the Operation Fire for Fire also beaten and injured
was one Mr. Goodhope Amadi, the ward 9 (Omagwa)
Secretary of the ANPP and one Mr. Chigozie Iwezor shot dead by the
Police.
APRIL 19,
2003 ELECTIONS
- OMAGWA COMMUNITY
Omagwa community
in Ikwerre L.G.A, witnessed no elections as an off-shoot of the April 12, 2003
violence, the Police, State Security Services (SSS) and PDP thugs, harassed and
assaulted the people of the area who dared to complain and protest the non
availability of election materials while most of them were arbitrarily arrested
and taken to the now crowded State Criminal & Investigation Department
(SCID) Port Harcourt. Those arrested and detained include; Mr. Goodhope
Amadi, Mr. Rolland Ikpo, Mr. Dedus Ofor, Mr. Christian Okpara (with gun shot),
Mr. Villa Okpara (with machete cut), presently, Mr. Goodhope Amadi and Mr.
Rolland Ikpo are still been held in unlawful detention
ELELE COMMUNITY
- Elele community in Ikwerre L.G.A, there were no
elections as the Police layed siege in the community from the previous
night as the Police, SSS and PDP thugs unleashed terror all over the
community, Mr. Ikechi Eze, the President of Elele Youth Council, Elder
Thomas Weneka, coordinator, Awuse Campaign Organisation, Mr. Ephraim
Williams, Mr. Agbo Amadi were all arrested, tortured and detained by
the Police, in the process, Mr. Ikechi Eze and Elder Thomas Weneka
had their backs lacerated; Uche Okwukwu Esq., Civil Rights Attorney,
who hails from the community, who dared to question the Electoral
Divisional Police Officer, was harassed.
The State Institutions of violence, the Police, SSS
and thugs of the ruling PDP, unleashed violence on all the communities in
Ikwerre Land, particularly Elele, Isiokpo, Omagwa, Omerelu, Igwuruta and
Aluu.
3.
EMOUHUA COMMUNITY
In Elele-Alimini community, a house-to-house search
was conducted by the Police, SSS and PDP thugs, which said action, led to the
arrest, torture and unlawful detention of 13 members of the opposition ANPP who
were taken to the Divisional Police Station Rumuji. The detained persons only
regained their freedom after paying ransom fees for �Bail�, the same accounts
for all the violence, which was witnessed in all the communities in Emouhua
L.G.A. Also in Emouhua, the home town of Chief Sergeant Awuse, the house
of Mr. Arthur Uchendu (Chief Awuse�s personal assistant), Mr. Nnodim Elekwa,
ANPP�s Federal House of Representative candidate, Mr. Million Enyi, Chief
Awuse�s personal Aide and many key supporters of the ANPP and Chief
Sergeant Awuse had their houses damaged or destroyed and in the process the
Police shot and killed a middle aged man, Mr. Eze Ordu.
- NDELE COMMUNITY
At Ndele community of
Emouhua L.G.A, violence was unleashed on the members and supporters of the ANPP
and in the midst of the uproar a young lady by the names of Miss Ann Alete
was shot dead for daring to question the absence of some vital electoral
materials.
- RUKPOKWU COMMUNITY
The Rukpokwu community in Obio/Akpor L.G.A, no
elections took place in the community as the protest against the
non-availability of voting materials was violently repressed by the Police and
PDP thugs. Mr. Mark Being, a vocal Youth Leader was arrested and taken
to the Divisional Police Station, Rumuodamaya were he was beaten and made to
sign a document that there was a valid election in his community. Similarly,
one Mr. Peters Achinike Ohabuiko was beating and tortured by Mobile
Policemen led by Hon. Nyeso Wike, the current past Chairman of
Obio/Akpor L.G.A and current Chairmanship candidate of the PDP in the L.G.A.
with gun pointed at him. There were no elections in all the communities in
Obio/Akpor L.G.A as the required Forms EC8A and Forms EC8A (1)
were not available at polling booths.
- PORT HARCOURT L.G.A.
The Local Government Area was under siege and a state
of un-declared war. Elections did not take place in any of the communities in
the L.G.A as the required Form EC8A and Forms EC8A (1) was not made
available by the INEC. At Orobazolu community (Mile 3 area of Diobu) Hon.
Azubuike Nmerukini, a member of the River State House of Assembly and
current PDP Chairmanship candidate for Port Harcourt L.G.A, harassed members of
the public with the Police and PDP thugs in the process one Mr. Justice
Amadi was shot in the stomach, Mr. Stanley Chukwu was beating and
arrested by the Police while the said Hon. Nmerukini hijacked ballot boxes
which was taken into his premises for stuffing. In Ogbumnuabali area of Port
Harcourt L.G.A, the Leader of the Concerned Ikwerre Women (CWO), Ms.
Chile Chinwo was arrested, tortured and later detained for 2 days at the
Forces Avenue Police Station, Port Harcourt.
STATE AND CORPORATE INVOLVEMENT
Inspite of the fact that
elections were not held almost all over Rivers State on April 19, 2003, an over
2.1 million votes were returned by the Independent National Electoral
Commission (INEC) as validly cast votes IN THE Governorship election, the
State Radio and Television did broadcast to the chagrin of the general public
that elections were held and that the announced number of votes were actually
cast on the said April 19, 2003 general election and that the elections of
April 12 & 19, 2003 was free, peace and fair.
All State senior special
assistants and political appointees were officially assigned Mobile Policemen
and armed Police personnel trucks to ensure not only a maximum protection for
themselves and also the maximum humiliation of the people.
State owned public
institutions and corporate bodies allowed their premises to be used as centers
for recruiting and training of thugs and for the storage of arms.
Uche Okwukwu is the Executive Director ,
CRIDO.�
�NwaMazi Obinna Okoro is Head, Democracy
and Good Governance Bureau, CRIDO