NHRC: 50 Persons Died During Polls

The National Human
Rights Commissions (NHRS) said Monday that about 50 deaths were recorded during Saturday’s elections. Property worth millions of naira was destroyed”.
The Chairman, NHRC, Chidi Odinakalu, in a statement, commended Nigerians, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and the security agencies for a job well done.
Also, a coalition of Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) under the aegis of the Nigeria Civil Society Situation Room (NCSSR) urged INEC to do all it on to prevent a recurrence during Saturday’s elections.
Odinakalu said all acts of election related violence must be condemned unreservedly. He called for a general condemnation of the killing and attacks on uniformed personnel of the security agencies as well as the killing of INEC staff.
“Those responsible must be held to account. Such political violence dishonor the high sense of civic pride, sacrifice and co-existence showed by Nigerians throughout this period.
“The voting process was not without some challenges, including pockets of violence and security breaches.
From different parts of the country, there have been incidents, reports and allegations of various forms of violence including some reported attacks by extremists in some parts of north eastern Nigeria designed to frustrate the exercise of the franchise.
“Some highlights include: Acts of violence resulting in fatalities have so far been reported in Akwa Ibom, Borno, Bauchi, Edo, Gombe, Lagos, Osun, Rivers and Yobe State.
“At the end of yesterday (Sunday), the number of persons reported killed in these attacks and incidents is over 50, this number includes one state legislator, a community leader and two (2) ad-hoc election staff of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), allegedly been killed in an extremists attack in Gombe State, as well as the killing of an asset to the Nigeria armed forces in Rivers State.

Chidi Enyie