Tobi Soniyi
The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has said it received 153 complaints on hate speech and election-related violence during the 2015 general election.
The commission also said that its investigation team would travel across the country to carry out public hearings on the petitions.
A statement by the commission said the acting Executive Secretary, Mrs. Oti Ovrawah, disclosed this at the inaugural meeting of a committee set up to investigate the complaints.
She said the commission was ready to investigate the complaints with the aim of bringing those culpable to justice.
She said the commission would, where necessary, exercise the duty to seek criminal indictment, punishment and accountability if it found evidence indicating that any person had been involved in hate speeches and election-related violence in relation to the 2015 elections as well as other subsequent elections.
Ovrawah noted that substantiated complaints of hate speeches and election-related violence would be subjected to public hearing across the states of the federation to enable indicted persons defend themselves.
Details later…
