Nigeria probes deadly election violence

2011-05-11 22:38

Abuja - Nigeria on Wednesday launched a probe into post-election riots believed to have killed hundreds of people last month, with a prominent Muslim heading the panel that will lead the investigation.

President Goodluck Jonathan inaugurated the 22-member panel that will look into the unrest in the country's mainly Muslim north that followed his election win, as well as violence in the run up to the vote.

"In order to prevent a re-occurrence of such horrific acts which strike at the heart of our nation, government has decided to constitute a panel to investigate the immediate and remote causes of the acts of pre- and post-election violence in parts of our dear nation," Jonathan said.

It will be headed by Islamic scholar Sheikh Ahmed Lemu, while the vice chair will be former supreme court justice Samson Uwaifo.

Rioting spread across the country's north over the election that saw Jonathan, a southern Christian, defeat his main rival Muhammadu Buhari, an ex-military ruler and northern Muslim.

Nigeria, Africa's most populous nation, has a mostly Muslim north and a predominately Christian south.

Some have accused Buhari's allies of instigating the riots, though he has disassociated himself from the violence, which saw churches, mosques and homes burnt, victims hacked with machetes and bodies reportedly thrown into wells.

A local rights group said more than 500 people were killed after the April 16 presidential election, while the Red Cross said some 74 000 were displaced.

Among the killings that drew the most outrage were those of 10 recent college graduates on their mandatory post-university national service who were deployed on election duty.

Violence that occurred ahead of the election that will be studied by the panel includes unrest in Akwa Ibom state on the edge of the oil-producing Niger Delta region.

An opposition governorship candidate was charged with treason over the violence in Akwa Ibom, resulting in heavy criticism that he was being unfairly targeted.

There were also a series of bomb blasts in the run up to the elections in various parts of the country.

Jonathan has asked the panel to ascertain the number of casualties and the sources of weapons used in the poll-related unrest, as well as recommend how to prevent the illegal importation of such weapons into the country.

The panel has six weeks to submit its report.

Despite the violence, the conduct of Nigeria's parliamentary, presidential and governorship polls last month were viewed as a major step forward after a series of deeply flawed elections. Observers have said Jonathan's win appeared credible.

- AFP