RIVERS ELECTION VIOLENCE: Annkio Briggs tells Army how to conduct credible investigation into roles of its personnel

For the Nigerian Army to be able to conduct a credible investigation into the roles played by it officers and men during the 2019 general elections in Rivers State, the investigative panel must include representatives of religious bodies and civil society organizations, a Niger Delta human and environmental rights activist, Annkio Briggs, has said.

Briggs explained that the outcome of the investigation into the activities of the Nigerian Army during the elections would only be credible if religious bodies and CSOs were allowed to be part of the fact-finding panel.

Briggs stated this on Friday when the leadership of the Eastern Zone of the Ijaw Youth Council, IYC, paid her a visit in Port Harcourt.

The activist also disagreed with the Army’s position that fake soldiers were involved in the killing and unlawful arrest of Rivers people, recalling that an ad hoc worker of the Independent National Electoral Commission, Ibisaki Amachree, was shot dead by a soldier.

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According to her, it was unacceptable for the Army to insist that its personnel were professional in their conduct during the elections in the state.

“The Army cannot set up a panel on the role its personnel played during the elections in Rivers State without involving the civil society organisations and religious bodies.

“The CSOs and religious bodies should be part of the panel so that the outcome of the investigation will be credible. The Constitution says the Army has no role in elections and the only circumstance that could bring in the Army is when they are invited by the police.

“But for the police and the Army to clash, it shows that soldiers were in a place they were not supposed to be. Remember that an INEC ad hoc employee, Ibisaki Amachree, was shot by the Army during the elections,” Briggs said.

On the delay in the announcement of the result of the governorship election in state, Briggs called on INEC to stop the delay, adding that the people were not unaware of who they voted for during the exercise on March 9, 2019.

“INEC is an agency of government and it is expected to conduct free and fair elections. INEC knows the winner of the governorship election in the state and we that voted know the winner of that election. So, INEC should tell us the winner”, she said.

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