Nation
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.
Rivers state Deputy Governor Professor Ngozi Nma Odu has commended “The Port Harcourt City One Love,”a Port Harcourt based humanitarian orgnisation For it’s commitment towards alleviating the sufferings of the poor and vulnerable in the society.
Professor Ngozi Nma Odu said this while speaking at this year’s edition of “operation feed the needy” a yearly outreach program of “The Port Harcourt City One Love ” in Port Harcourt.
The Deputy Governor said by feeding more than sixty thousands hungry people within the past six years, the Port Harcourt City One Love Movement has distinguished itself as a club that cares for the less privilege in the society.
She commended the , organization for listing eleven thousand persons to be fed in the current exercise.
Meanwhile The Port Harcourt City One Love has planned a permanent solution to the problem of feeding the poor in the state.
The leader of the group Mr Idaere Gogo Ogan who said this in an interview with newsmen during the distribution of food items to the poor and vulnerables in Port Harcourt said the organization is planning a permanent food kitchen where poor and vulnerable persons can work in anytime and get fed.
Idaere Gogo Ogan said more than sixty thousands poor and vulnerable persons across Port Harcourt City and environs have been fed since the inception of “The operation feed the needy” program six years ago,adding that so far sixty thousands poor and vulnerable persons have beneffited.
He described the group as a platform to promote friendship, brotherhood, community development empathy and feeding the less privilege and hungry people
“That’s what we are doing today here,so we started the exercise six years ago”.he said.
Ogan said the effort was a private sector driven initiative but added “it also involves people in Government because the platform does not recognize any division,we bring everybody together in unity , friendship and brotherhood”he said.
He said the effort will go along way in alleviating hunger especially following the prevailing hunger in the country.
According to him “you know the country is very tough, people are hungry people are starving, there is a whole lot of economic hardship,so for us, this is just our own way of reaching out, our own social contribution to what is very difficult”he said.
Over eleven thousand persons were fed in the just concluded exercise.
Areas of coverage include, Isaac Boro park, Port Harcourt prison/Macoba, Borokiri/Enugu waterside Bundu areas Waterlines and others.
Some of the beneficiaries including an 80 years old widow commended the movement for the annual programm and urged other organizations to emulate them
John Bibor,/Esuuk Oyet/Suotor Memoye /Jeremiah Hannah
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