Election Violence-Nigeria - National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) Thursday in Abuja said perpetrators of violence during the forthcoming elections will be taken to the International Criminal Court (ICC) at the Hague, Netherlands for trial. This was disclosed on a day Civil Society Organisations (CSOs), at a press briefing in Abuja, said the Afeez Ringim-led Police Force lacked the capacity to provide security for voters and the voting process in the April general elections. Program Co-ordinator of the Network for Police Reform in Nigeria (NPRN) said the inability of the police to address many politically motivated killings and destruction as well as bring to book perpetrators of the spate of bombing in Abuja raised questions as to the capacity of the police to support the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and President Goodluck Jonathan's promised free and fair elections.

Addressing journalists in Abuja on plans by NHRC to deploy 370 monitors to evaluate the election, Executive Secretary, Mr. Roland Ewubare, said the commission would not rely on the police to prosecute perpetrators of violence.

He said the amendment to the commission's enabling law had conferred on the commission the power to function independently. Ewubare said that the most draconian punishment, the death penalty should be reserved for those who perpetuated electoral violence.

He however said the commission would observe the human rights content of the security during the elections. Meanwhile, the Oyo State Police Command has expressed readiness for the poll, vowing to deal with anybody or group of persons that attempts to disrupt the peaceful conduct of the polls.

In Ondo State, Commissioner of Police, Mr Sanni Magaji, at a media briefing in Akure, said suspected political thugs have signed undertakings with the police to be of good behavior before, during and after the general elections.

Oyo State Police Commissioner, Baba Adisa Bolanta, in a chat with THISDAY, stated that his command had invited factional chieftains of

the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW), Lateef Akinsola a.k.a Tokyo and Mukaila Lamidi a.k.a Auxiliary to extract assurances of violence-free poll from them.

He said the Command was also looking into the directions of some people, especially candidates in the polls who have the tendency to incite people into violence or foment trouble.

Also Thursday, the Agbekoya society cried out that the police had swooped on its members at its annual convention in Akanran village, an outskirt of Ibadan last Wednesday and arrested five of them.

A statement from the society signed by Prince Tola Bakare, claimed that the Agbekoyas were in an all night event where they were praying for the nation and the successful conduct of the polls before some of them were arrested by the police.

Meanwhile, the state government has declared today a public holiday for all categories of workers in both the public and private sectors, in order to encourage full participation, especially, by those that may need to prepare or travel ahead to their respective wards of registration for voting.

Tobi Soniyi, Tunde Sanni And James Sowole

This Day/01/02/2011