NAPTIP Vows to Arrest, Prosecute Political Violence Perpetrators 

The National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking In Person (NAPTIP) has vowed to bring to book anyone who engaged in political violence during the 2023 general elections.
The Director General, NAPTIP, Prof. Fatima Waziri-Azi, stated this  during a parley with journalists in Abuja, Monday.
Waziri-Azi said Sections 23 and 24 of the Violence Against Persons Prohibition (VAPP) Act, 2015, empowers the agency to arrest and prosecute political violence perpetrators as well as their sponsor.
To this extent, she said “NAPTIP was set to deploy its, “duly trained personnel” to various polling centers at ward levels that would monitor and ensure a peaceful voting exercise as well as enforce the relevant sections of the VAPP Act.
Waziri-Azi insisted that the meaningful participation of all persons in political processes was key to achieving a more secure, prosperous and democratic society.
She, however, stated that this could be obstructed by political violence, hence the introduction of Section 23 and 24 of the VAPP Act, which prohibits all forms of political violence by individuals and state actors.
“Based on the forgoing, and in the midst of political violence across the country since the beginning of the present electioneering process including those on INEC facilities, it has become necessary for the agency to deliberately work with other sister law enforcement agencies to implement the above referenced section of the VAPP Act at this time”, Waziri-Azi said.
She described political violence as any crime perpetrated in the course of political activities like elections, such as thuggery, mugging, use of force to disrupt meetings; or the use of dangerous weapons that may cause bodily harm or injury.
“Section 23 of the Act provides, imprisonment of up to four years or a fine of up to five hundred thousand or both”, for convicts, just as it criminalises any attempt to commit political violence like inciting, aiding, abetting or counseling another person to commit the crime including receiving or assisting a person to commit political crime.