Punishing Perpetrators Will End Violence Not Peace Accord – Ajulo

A Nigerian lawyer and the National Secretary to Labour Party, Kayode Ajulo, says violence, before, during and after elections, will end when strong security institutions and justice system are in place and not through peace accord between politicians.

Presidential candidates of political parties in Nigeria signed a peace accord last week, promising to do their best to ensure that the elections would be violence-free.

The need to ensure that the general elections are free of violence was also stressed by the US Secretary of State , John Kerry, at a meeting with two leading Presidential candidates, the incumbent President, Goodluck Jonathan of the Peoples Democratic Party and General Muhammadu Buhari of the All Progressives Congress.

Mr Ajulo, however, said that the peace accords had no legal backings and could be pushed aside by individuals involved, when they feel unsatisfied.

“What is the legality of the accord? Peace accord is not enforceable,” he said, insisting that ineffective institutions are responsible for the violence.

The so much talk about a violence-free election is aimed at forestalling a repeat of a post-election violence as experienced in 2011 in the northern part of Nigeria.

Mr Ajulo said there were chances that such violence could be witnessed again, as no one had been punished for being part of the 2011 violence.

“Violence has continued because people commit crimes and get away with it.

“In 2011 i was abducted and i reported the issue to the police. No one has been able to tell me who my abductors were. No arrests were made.

“We have our security agencies and what have they been doing? A crime is a crime and the police should deal decisively with the perpetrators of crimes. Crime perpetrators should be held accountable for their actions. The police should pick the offenders no matter who they are.

“Since 2011, no one has been prosecuted for the violence of that time. There is a procedure that had been set to help reduce crime within the society and that procedure should be followed.

“If we have strong institutions, no individual will feel he is untouchable.

“To make actions match words, there must be strong institutions. There must be a strong judiciary,” he said.

By Channels Television.