CLEEN lists threats to 2015 polls

The Centre for Law Enforcement Education (CLEEN Foundation), yesterday said the activities of non-state actors especially those involved in security like the Civilian JTF tackling Boko Haram and the rising violence between herdsmen and farmers especially in parts of the North are the major threats to the 2015 general elections.

Programme Officer of the foundation, Chinedu Nwagwu, who presented a paper at the third lecture titled “Security Threat Assessment (January-March 2014): Towards 2015 Elections”

in Abuja also said urgent attempt should be made to understand the political economy and dynamics of cattle rustling in the country as the situation is not all about military action, but having a better understanding of situation to develop a better response mechanism.
“The altercation between the PDP and APC about which of them is behind the Boko Haram insurgency also raises tensions and could impact on the elections if not checked.
“The security situation has been dominated by  cattle rustling, banditry, assassinations, ritual killings, political skirmishes and rapes. Two different cases of violence in March 2014 killed over 200 people in Katsina and Kaduna States alone,” Nwagwu said.
“Another threat to security in the North East  may likely come from the Civilian JTF (CJTF) in Borno currently hailed for their gallant counter terrorism efforts in the state. The CJTF are currently heavily armed with machetes, knives, daggers to fight insurgency, but it is reasonable to assume also that some of the heavy weapons acquired from encounters with Boko Haram may remain in their circulation which could be readily used for intimidation during the forthcoming elections.”
Executive Director of the organisation, Ms. KemiOkenyodo among others urged the government to reverse the reverse the entrenched culture of impunity through the prosecution of perpetrators of violence by the police and the judiciary; and to also reduce the level of small arms in the country by implementing the Presidential Committee on Small arms and the Presidential committee on Post Elections violence reports.