2015 Polls: Rights Commission Insists On Use Of Military

The Chairman of the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), Prof. Chidi Odinkalu has backed the call for troops to take charge of security to ensure peace in the forthcoming general elections.
This is coming after some Nigerians kicked against the deployment of the military for the exercise based on a contrary court judgement.
In an interview with Channels Television last Monday, Odinkalu noted that Nigeria is currently in a state of war, which justifies such action in line with the Geneva Convention Act.
With the professor’s submission, it appears the debate on the deployment of soldiers for the conduct of the general elections may not end soon.
He justified the suggestion that the military should be used because of the fact that the electoral process has already been militarized by the presence of hired thugs, who have hijacked campaigns across the nation.
Odinkalu said that Nigerians want to be provided with safe environments to vote for candidates of their choice, but noted that the absence of armed military personnel would make millions of Nigerians vulnerable to possible attacks by political thugs.
He said that the police alone could not provide the needed safe atmosphere for peaceful, free, fair and credible elections, and appealed to the government to ensure the full deployment of armed military personnel to provide safe cover for eligible voters to cast their votes without any intimidation or hindrance.