A lawyer has urged Nigeria’s government to impeach President Olusegun Obasanjo for failing to maintain security in the country, a local newspaper reported on Tuesday.
”Whereas, the 1999 Constitution of Nigeria says that the security and welfare of the people shall be the primary purpose of the government, it is unfortunate that under President Obasanjo’s regime, life and property are not secure,” the Nigerian daily The Vanguard quoted Lagos lawyer Chief Gani Fawehinmi as saying.
Fawehinmi was referring to last Sunday’s murder of Chief Philip Olorunnipa, chairperson of the Kogi State Independent Electoral Commission, last week’s attack on the convoy of Governor George Akume of Benue State, and other violence.
Meanwhile, Obasanjo criticised police for failing to send a helicopter to the scene of the attack against Akume’s convoy, saying that police had disobeyed an order to do so.
”If we have an helicopter that is not working, we must repair it instantly and if it is too bad to be repaired, we should throw it away. If we do not have an helicopter, let us know that we do no not have one,” Obasanjo was quoted as saying during an emergency meeting with police chiefs on Monday.
Obasanjo also said Olorunnipa’s murder was under investigation.
Murders of politicians and other high-profile people have been taking place in Nigeria in recent weeks as more than 700 local government areas across the country prepare for voting on March 27.
As chairperson of the Kogi State Independent Electoral Commission, Olorunnipa was supposed to oversee voting in his area.
Religious violence has also rocked Nigeria in recent times. Over the past two weeks, more than 60 people have been killed and 2 500 people have fled Plateau State in the central part of the country following clashes between Christians and Muslims. — Sapa-DPA