FEB POLLS: ‘Create police units to curb election violence’

Renowned security expert, Dr. Ona Ekhomu has called for the immediate establishment of Special Anti-Election Violence Investigation (SAEVI) Units within the Nigeria Police Force in order to curb election violence and ensure credible 2015 polls.

Ekhomu said: “The Units should form part of the existing State Criminal Investigation Departments of the Police agency in all 36 states of the Federation and the Federal Capital Territory.  A supervisory SAEVI unit should also be established in the Federal Criminal Investigation Department (FCID) to coordinate the work in all the States and FCT commands.”

Ekhomu said that Nigerians were truly concerned and scared about the incidence of violence and prospects of further violence that might occur during the elections.

 He noted that the primary crime control agency of the government, the Nigeria Police Force, should immediately set up structures and processes to address this problem.

He said: “We have witnessed overt violence acts during the electioneering campaigns. There are signs to show that violence may occur in the forthcoming election despite the signing of the pact of non-aggression among political parties.  Consequently, establishing a Special Anti-Election Violence Investigations (SAEVI) Unit was a cognitive imperative.”

The security expert asked the Inspector-General of Police to immediately formulate and sign a Force order creating the Unit so that it could go to work and protect Nigerians by arresting and prosecuting violent politicians, their supporters and hired thugs.

He also wanted the creation of a special Anti-Election Violence Squad to investigate election violence and successfully prosecute violators.

Ekhomu argued that election violence was prevalent in Nigeria because of the inability and unwillingness of the Police to investigate and prosecute purveyors of election violence. This he said was because the organisational structure and processes were not in place. 

His words: “The Police agency must exhibit the organic principle of infinite variability and adapt to solve important existential security problems such as election violence.”

According to him, Commissioner of Police should be appointed for the unit to coordinate all anti-election violence planning, organizing, liaison and communication.  The CP would design goals and objectives of the unit.

The security expert said that Case Management level related to the individual investigator, techniques of investigation case management protocols.

Ekhomu said that law enforcement does not rely only upon moral suasion and platitudinous statements.  “Law enforcement requires acquiring evidence, building a case file, causing arrest and prosecuting offenders.  The effectiveness of the criminal justice systems in addition to punishing offenders (just desserts principle) is the deterrence of other members of society from committing the same offence”, he added.

He urged the SAEVI unit to use video and photographic equipment for evidence gathering during election campaigns.  He urged SAEVI officers to utilize force multipliers such as online information sources, internal and external liaison and intelligence information.

Ekhomu advised that only ethical officers should be chosen for this important national assignment.  Investigators for the SAEVI Unit should be persistent, be matured, have people skills, be self-starters, be able to multitask, have good observation skills, and be thoroughbred professionals.