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Following violence attacks and tension in Rivers State, the Governor, Siminalayi Fubara, has constituted a seven-man Judicial Commission of Inquiry to investigate the arson, killings and destruction of property at various Local Government Council Headquarters in the state.
This development was contained in a statement by the Chief Press Secretary to the Governor, Nelson Chukwudi, on Wednesday.
The commission, were given a month to conclude on its mandate, having Justice Ibiwengi Roseline Minakiri as chairman, Mrs. Inyingi Brown as secretary and Uzor Ikenga as counsel.
The other members are Felicia Nwoke, Prof. Blessing Didia, Sir Samuel Egbe and Venerable Alex Usifor.
The Governor said his administration would not look away following the acts of ill-guided youths and sponsored political thugs turning the state into a hall of violence without being held accountable for crime against the state.
The statement read: “I have decided to take this action to find out the immediate and remote causes of this arson, most importantly, no matter the personalities involved, we must bring them to book.
“So, this assignment is very important. It is an assignment that, if it is not done rightly, would give the enemies of this state the opportunity to continue.
“And if we are right, it is going to be the end of further destruction of public property in the state. I know it is going to be very tasking. I can assure you that there will be threats, but you have to be strong,” he told the members of the commission.
Fubara stated, “It has become very clear that rather than getting close to the path of peace, this state is gradually turning into a kingdom where law and order is no longer the order of the day. And we cannot fold our hands and allow such thing to happen.
“On the 5th of October, 2024, about four days ago, we had an election in this state. Before the election, we also heard from a lot of quarters, songs of war, (and) threats but we never took them seriously because we believed that a local government election is a prerogative of the state government. It has nothing to do with anybody anywhere that is outside the confinement of our state.
“And for that reason, we believed strongly that whatever it is, we could manage it to produce the purpose of that election. But it is very unfortunate that after the election, even while the election was going on, several things happened, which we managed, thinking it was going to end there.
“The day after the election, there were more threats from people, and we also thought it was just a normal threat, believing that it was not going to be out of hand but it did.”
Fubara charged the members of the commission to work with responsibilty to curb criminality in the state.
The charged read, "the committee must determine the underlying causes of the violence and identify the individuals or groups responsible for the attacks on some Local Government Council Headquarters and the harm caused to citizens.
“Evaluate the extent of damage to property, infrastructure, and human lives and estimate the financial losses incurred.
“Examine whether the violence was politically motivated, and if so, identify the key players and their roles in instigating the violence.
“Assess the effectiveness of the security agencies’ response to the violence and identify areas for improvement.
“Investigate the actions of individuals and groups involved in the violence in the face of the relevant laws, including the Violence Against Persons (Prohibition) Act, 2015, etc.
“Advise on adequate compensation and support for victims and their families, as well as measures to prevent future occurrences.
“Make recommendations on long-term strategies to prevent similar incidents in the future, including recommendations for policy reforms, community engagement, and conflict resolution mechanisms.
“Recommend appropriate sanctions for individuals and groups found culpable.
“Make other relevant recommendations in light of its findings which the commission may consider appropriate,” and also mandated the commission to submit its report within “one month.”
Earlier, Fubara stated that his administration would not watch sponsored political thugs run berserk in the state.
He assured that working with the Nigerian Police Force and the Directorate of State Services, measures would be taken to unravel those behind the burning of secretariats at Ikwerre, Emohua and Eleme Local Government Areas.
Reacting to the development, the FCT minister, Nyesome Wike while speaking on Channels Television’s Politics Today, fingered Fubara of being the mastermind behind the violence that erupted after Saturday’s LG polls.
Wike, however supported Fubara’s candidacy to succeed him as governor, but after Fubara took office, both men found themselves in embattled conflict over state polity.
The crisis however is viewed in some quarters as the reason for the political divisions in the state.
Wike said, “There is no decent person who would say that he wants to support violence and destruction, nor would he say that he does not want to support people living in harmony.
“However, when there is crisis, violence, and instability, it is your responsibility to ask what led to the violence. Our state is becoming one where people do not obey the rule of law.
“You must obey the rule of law. You must obey court judgments; you must not take the law into your own hands. No matter how you view that judgment, the moment you don’t obey the court’s judgment, you are inviting anarchy; you are inviting violence.”
Wike stated that INEC and security agencies adhered to the court judgment, while the governor intentionally chose to disregard it.
“I hear people say, let them not derail democracy. But I ask myself, who is derailing democracy? Is it the man who says that law and order and the judgment of the court should not be respected? Is he the one promoting democracy? You cannot support an illegal act.
“If you must conduct an election, you must follow due process. What is the due process? There must be a time when you give notice for the election, and you must publicize it. Have they done that? The judgment is binding on the police, INEC, and DSS because they are federal agencies. So, you cannot go to a state high court in a case involving federal agencies.”
