10 cultists elected into Rivers Assembly this year - Report

About 10 leading members of a network comprising cultists, gangs and militias in Rivers State were among those elected into the State House of Assembly during the April 11 elections of this year, the report of a Commission of Inquiry set up to investigate the political crisis before, during and after the 2015 general elections has revealed.

This, according to the report, a copy of which Daily Trust on Sunday exclusively obtained, was among major findings by the Commission of Inquiry which lends credence to the growth in the influence of cults, gangs and militias in the politics of the South-South State in 2015.

The seven-member Commission of Inquiry headed by the Chairman of the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), Professor Chidi Odinkalu,  was constituted  by the immediate past Governor of Rivers State, Rotimi Amaechi, on April 7 this year to investigate politically motivated killings and damage to property in the state immediately before, during and after the 2015 general elections.

Members include: Ayo Obe, Professor Nlerum S. Okogbule, Professor Owunari Georgewill, Dr Mrs. Joy Ejiofor , Reverend Father Michael Akere and Richard Ofuri.  However, during the commission’s inauguration on April 16, 2015, Reverend Father Akere did not present himself to take the oath and did not participate in the work of the inquiry.

In its final report submitted on May 21, 2015, the commission said in the course of its investigations, it received three pieces of information to illustrate the growth in the influence of cults, gangs and militias in the politics of Rivers State in 2015.

“First ahead of the primaries, a well-known militia leader, Chief Tom Ateke indicated serious interest in contesting the governorship primaries on the platform of the PDP and even flew into Abuja with his supporters to collect governorship application forms”, the report stated, adding “It appeared Chief Ateke was compelled to drop his interest at the last minute following appeals of senior political and security sector leaders.”

According to the report, following the conclusion of the primaries  and ahead of the elections, it was credibly alleged that both leading party candidates for the governorship of Rivers State as well as senior politicians from surrounding states met on more than one occasion with militia leaders to appeal for their assistance and support.

The report reads: “These encounters with the militia leaders continued until the eve of the governorship polls of April 11, 2015. It was confirmed that about ten leading members of their network were elected into the Rivers State House of Assembly during the election of April 11, 2015.” It, however, did not disclose their names and political affiliations.

The report further disclosed that it received evidence on 97 allegations of killings, adding that three percent of the killings reported to the inquiry took place before November 14, 2014, while 94 or 97 percent occurred between November 15 2014 and April 11, 2015. This, according to the report, represents a monthly average of nearly 19 killings during the five months of the election period.

The report indicated that a total of 93 cases of injuries were reported to the inquiry out of which 12 representing 13 percent occurred before the election period, while 81 injuries were inflicted during the election period.

“The inquiry received ample evidence indicating that security agencies were unwilling or unable to attend to incidents of political violence or that in some locations they were overwhelmed by the intensity and frequency of reported incidents”, the report said, adding: “The attitudes of the security agencies that the inquiry encountered  was largely defensive, tending towards avoidance of the subject.”

While identifying factors that played significant role in the in the intensity of the violence in Rivers State in 2015, the report cited perceived influence of former First Lady, Dame Patience Jonathan during the period under review, while also identifying the split in the then ruling PDP in the state which formally occurred in 2013, following which a faction led by Rotimi Amaechi moved into an opposition coalition that later became the All Progressives Congress (APC).

CREDIT: Daily Trust