According to the Civil Rights Congress of Nigeria, more than half a thousand people were killed in two days in three cities of Zonkwa, Kafanchan and Zangon Katak, in Southern Kaduna State. The more than 500 people killed in northern Nigeria were mostly Muslim. The riots between Christians and Muslims erupted after the announcement of the results which declared the incumbent President the winner. The Red Cross has confirmed 130 deaths, while NGOs on Human Rights have reported 250 deaths. However, Nigerian authorities have refused to confirm these figures which could be higher because there are some rural areas especially in central Kaduna State whose situation has not been assessed.
Northern Nigeria is still on alert
Security forces were on high alert on the eve of the election of governors scheduled for Tuesday, April 26th in 24 of the 36 states of the country. The situation remains very tense in the northern region of Nigeria. Ten states are exempted from voting. For security reasons, elections in the states of Bauchi and Kuruma are held two days apart. The number of refugees is increasing day by day and the Red Cross estimates that some 74,000 people have fled their homes and are reluctant to return until after the elections.
Muhammadu Buhari challenges the outcome of the presidential elections and condemns the post-election violence
Muhammadu Buhari who was beaten in the presidential elections by Goodluck Jonathan denounced the results citing serious irregularities on the election day. According to him, there was no election in the region of the Niger Delta (the southern oil-rich region) or in the south-east. "In these areas," his supporters "have not been allowed to vote." "If you look at the results that we are given you will see that this is almost the same results we were awarded in 2003, which means that special effects were planned this time by sophisticated technology." However, he has called for a cessation of violence and pursuance of justice through the established judicial system.
What the Electoral Commission says
According to observers, the elections were generally free and fair and were hailed as successful compared to previous ones.
Goodluck Jonathan condemns post-election violence
In his speech to the nation last Thursday, President Goodluck Jonathan said that he regretted the riots that followed the elections which reminded him of the events that led to civil war 1967. He also indicated that security had been strengthened throughout the country to end the violence. President Goodluck Jonathan has also sought the intervention of political leaders as well as religious leaders of the country to help quell the riots.
H uman Rights abuse in Nigeria and the invitation to the UN Rights Chief
The Human Rights Watch has warned Nigeria against human rights abuses in the country. Violence erupted after the declaration of election results that proclaimed Goodluck Jonathan the winner. Supporters of Mohammadu Buhari, a former military leader, attacked churches, homes and police stations sparking reprisal attacks by Christians.
However,Buhari who says the vote was rigged through electoral commission computers, is calling on his supporters to stay calm while his party challenges the results in court.
President Jonathan, who has sent security forces to the affected regions, says that the disturbances are more than mere political protest. He says they are clearly aimed at frustrating Nigeria’s remaining elections, and that is not acceptable. Human Rights Watch says the Jonathan government must ensure that those forces do not make things worse by using excessive force.
Meanwhile, the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Ms Navi Pillay, has been urged to «Urgently visit Nigeria on a fact-finding mission to probe the ongoing post election violence and killings, and to identify state and non-state actors, including leaders of political parties, who are either complicitly or directly responsible for the violence and killings and to send their names to the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court for prosecution, ».
The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP), in a letter addressed to the UN official, who is a former judge of the ICC, urged her to ask the Nigerian government and leaders of political parties to show responsibility and ensure full respect for the human rights of the citizens, including the right to life, to human security and property, to participation and development.
The ICC has said in the meantime that it is investigating whether crimes committed during the unrest in Nigeria are within its jurisdiction.