Fubara sets up panel to probe killings, destruction of LG secretariats
Rivers Governor Siminalayi Fubara Tuesday inaugurated a seven-man Judicial Commission of Inquiry to investigate the arson, killings, and destruction of property at various local government councils’ secretariats in the State.
Fubara gave the committee which has Justice Ibiwengi Roseline Minakiri as Chairman; Mrs. Inyingi Brown as the Secretary; and Uzor Ikenga as the Counsel one month to turn in it’s report.
Other members are Felicia Nwoke; Prof. Blessing Didia; Sir Samuel Egbe and Venerable Alex Usifor.
The Governor said the recent attacks and burning of councils’ secretariats seemed like a repeat of what was experienced in 2014, months to the general elections of 2015 when courts were set ablaze, residences bombed and people killed, leading to the closure of courts in Rivers State.
Fubara said his administration would not look away while ill-guided youths and sponsored political thugs turn the State into a theatre of violence without being made to pay for such crimes against the state.
He said: “So, 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 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”.
Fubara said.that it was long overdue to inaugurate the commission of inquiry owing to incidences that had been witnessed since his administration came on board.
He explained that sometime in the past, about October, 2023, a similar incidence was experienced, and because he had thought that everybody was of the same political family, he decided to let go.
He added that the persistence of the violence and differences between people who once had worked together had seemingly destroyed chances of settling any misgivings internally.
Fubara said: “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 also 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 told members of the commission that “Evaluate the extent of damage to property, infrastructure, and human lives and estimate the financial losses incurred.
“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”
