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Apparently angered by comments attributed to Atahiru Jega, chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, blaming the National Assembly for the delay in releasing the 2011 election timetable, the Senate yesterday resolved to summon him.

The Senate reached the decision after Kanti Bello (PDP, Katsina State) drew attention of his colleagues to media reports in which Mr. Jega purportedly criticised the lawmakers’ slow pace on both the second amendment to the Constitution and the first amendment to the 2010 Electoral Act.

Mr. Jega had on Monday, in Abuja, while receiving a delegation of heads of the European Union (EU), said the amendment of the act would ensure timely implementation of the commission’s master plan. According to him, the demand for extension of time for the election is not intended to shift the May 29 handover date.

“It is to allow for good work to be done, and to remove any controversy that may affect the electoral process. Quick amendment of the 2010 Electoral Act is among the challenges currently confronting the commission’s determination to carry out its registration implementation plan and ensure credible elections in 2011 and beyond.

“Delay in amendment of the Electoral Act will affect the implementation of the master plan. INEC needs clear legal framework to proceed with implementation of the plan,” he said.

Unfair Utterances

David Mark, the Senate president, described Mr. Jega’s utterances as unfair. He said that the legislators had, at some points in the past, waived bureaucracy or cut into their personal times to ensure the election management body gets all it needs to organise a credible free and fair election in 2011.

“We have done everything humanly possible for INEC. If the allegations are true, Jega owes us an explanation,” the Senate president said.

Mr. Mark revealed that INEC’s budget that was passed in a hurry in July was in excess of about N19 billion, but the lawmakers went ahead to pass it, “just to make sure they get everything they needed.”

Other senators condemned the statement and said it was a conspiracy against the National Assembly. They accused INEC of inefficiency, saying that till date, INEC has not been able to acquire the data capturing machines to be used for the voters’ registration, even though they have all the money for it.

Ayogu Eze, the spokesman of the Senate, believed the statement was meant to tarnish the image of the National Assembly..

“They are preparing the grounds to heap the blame on the National Assembly if they fail,” he said, adding that the current timetable, which INEC is seeking an amendment to, was initially suggested by the National Assembly.

Despite the misgivings, the Senate passed the second amendment to 1999 Constitution through first reading and promised to meet up with their initial pledge to conclude the amendments before the end of the month.

According to Mr. Eze, they had met with both Speakers of the state Houses of Assemblies and governors to help speed up the passage of the second amendment to the constitution, when it is sent down to them later in the month.

Mr. Eze, was, however, evasive about the contents of the Electoral Act amendment bill. There are speculations about a plot by the president to tinker with some provisions of the current act, to allow him appoint his ministers and other political appointees as delegates in party primaries.

Mr. Eze also denied allegations that members of the National Assembly have been bribed to let the amendment pass.

“I find it rather distressing that we are back to old tactics to discredit some people. If there are people who want some particular views to be put for them in the Electoral Act, they should lobby their representatives rather than resort to cheap blackmail,” Mr. Eze said.

No date has been fixed for Mr. Jega’s appearance before the National Assembly.

Worried by the extra-judicial killings allegedly carried out by officers of the Nigeria Police during the Boko Haram crisis, the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Adetokunbo Kayode, has summoned the Inspector General of Police and the police leadership to discuss the issue.

Mr. Kayode said, over the past few weeks, documentary and photographic evidence of extra-judicial killings by Nigeria’s police has dominated national and international discourse.

“Specifically, I am refereeing to the Aljazeera documentary on the Boko Haram unrest and Amnesty International’s report alleging extra-judicial killings by the Nigerian Police,” he said.

The Minister, who briefed the press after his meeting with the National Committee on Torture, said he decided to convene the meeting because of the growing unease about Nigeria’s commitment to the promotion and protection of human rights, and specifically to the government’s position on torture and extra-judicial killings.

He instructed the committee to put administrative measures in place to investigate the documentary on the killings, stating that those who appear on the video clip would be identified and made to face the wrath of the law.

He said the visuals undermine our image as a nation of laws that is committed to the human rights provisions in its constitution as well as its international human rights obligations.

“A democracy as resilient as ours must reject the false choice between our security and fundamental freedoms and this is why we cannot tolerate impunity disguised under the cloak of security or any other guise,” he said.

Furthermore, he said policemen who were involved in the alleged killings are now facing orderly room trial and will be brought to justice.

“Over 600 people, including police officers, have been indicted by the investigating committee set up by the Federal Government to investigate the Boko Haram incident,” he said.

Ignored crimes

Mr. Kayode also said the impression is that extra-judicial execution and other unlawful killings in Nigeria are widespread and go largely uninvestigated and unpunished.PHOTO:Baba Fugu Mohammed's family says he was among those killed

“My judgment on this is a matter of record. In one of my very first speeches as the Attorney General (of the Federation) and Minister of Justice of the Federation, I did state categorically that the Federal Government of Nigeria unequivocally condemns all extra-judicial executions and other unlawful killings,” he said. “Going forward, it is my strong believe that the Federal Government of Nigeria has a solemn duty to criminalise torture and make extra-judicial executions punishable by sanctions commensurate with the gravity of the practice. This is an extraordinarily important responsibility of the office of the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, and it is one that will be carried out assertively irrespective of any political concern.”

excerpts :

Nigerian police and military units carried out extra-judicial killings last year in the aftermath of clashes with members of a Muslim group in the north of the country, footage obtained by Al Jazeera appears to confirm.

An estimated 1,000 people were killed as Nigerian government forces fought Boko Haram in Borno, Yobe, Kano and Bauchi states in July and August of 2009.

But the footage obtained by Al Jazeera shows that many of the deaths occurred only after the fighting was over.

Elements of the security forces staged a follow-up operation in which house-to-house searches were conducted and individuals were apparently selected at random and taken to a police station.

'Shoot him in the chest'

In the video, a number of unarmed men are seen being made to lie down in the road outside a building before they are shot.

As one man is brought out to face death, one of the officers can be heard urging his colleague to "shoot him in the chest not the head - I want his hat".

As the executions continue another man is told: "Sit properly we want to take your picture."

The shootings continue as a crowd gathers further up the street in front of the police station.

Voices can be heard saying: "No mercy, no mercy."

Two officers seen in the video can be clearly identified by the name tags on their chests.

The family of Baba Fugu Mohammed, a respected community leader, told Al Jazeera that he was among those put to death outside the police station.

"He was killed, he was killed, that's what we believe. He was shot by the police," one relative said.

Fugu Mohammed was the father-in-law of Mohammed Yusuf, the Boko Haram leader whose group had battled the police, but the two had become estranged.

His family said that he had come to help police restore order, but was shot.