Nigerians blast Buhari for saying ballot box snatchers will pay with their lives
Several Nigerians have taken to social media to blast President Muhammadu Buhari and express their shock and apprehension over the Nigerian leader’s comments during the All Progressives Congress (APC) caucus meeting on Monday.
At the meeting which was televised live, President Buhari made it clear that anyone who tries to disrupt the electoral process, will be doing so “at the expense of his own life”.
“I will warn those who have planned to disrupt the peaceful elections to desist from their planned actions.
“I really gave the military and the Police (order) to be ruthless.
“We are not going to be blamed that we want to rig elections. I want Nigerians to be respected. Let them vote whoever they want across parties.
“I am going to warn anybody who thinks he has enough influence in his locality to lead a body of thugs or to disturb the voting system, he will do it at the expense of his own life.” President Buhari said.
However NigerianEye‘s investigation revealed that The Electoral Act (2010), however, does not prescribe death for any electoral offence.
The maximum sentence for snatching of ballot boxes is 24 months in prison.
Section 129 (4) of the Electoral Act states, “Any person who snatches or destroys any election material commits an offence and is liable on conviction to 24 months imprisonment.”
The Act further states that anyone who directly or indirectly engages in electoral violence shall be liable to three years in prison or a fine of N1 million.
This is perhaps the reason for the current disapproval of Mr president’s comments by Nigerians on social media.
Read their thoughts below…
You don’t declear on National TV that your security arms in which you are the Commander-in-Chief that they have your permission to ruthlessly deal with your Citizen for whatever reason or crime. These security operatives ar already persived as trigger happy lots #APCJungleJustice— Optimus Prime (@Ashaice) February 18, 2019
Nigeria is currently a Democracy.One of the tenets of Democracy is the RULE OF LAW.
In our laws, the penalty for Snatching of Ballot Boxes is 2 Years Imprisonment.
The instruction by Buhari to the Army & Police for SUMMARY EXECUTION is totally condemnable#APCJungleJustice pic.twitter.com/ynynG99bbB
— The Jonathanian (@The_Jonathanian) February 18, 2019
In a country where a Custom officer was caught red-handed on video killing a civilian, while the service commission maintained such horrible lies to justify the killing.What will happen now that Buhari has given them an order to kill at will? Anarchy loading #APCJungleJustice
— Alhaji Table Breaker (@yemi_adebowale) February 18, 2019
Tinubu knew that Buhari had spoken wrongly and tried to walk it back in this interview after their caucus meeting.But his bloodthirsty followers are here trending #SnatchAtYourOwnRisk
“Whoever digs a pit will fall into it.”
We have prayed.pic.twitter.com/aAmHPTIxNn— Demola Olarewaju (@DemolaRewaju) February 18, 2019
Dear @MBuhari
What Electoral Act says about ballot box snatchingThe Electoral Act (2010)
Section 129 (4) – “Any person who snatches election material commits an offence and is liable on conviction to 24 months imprisonment.”NOT DEATH GENERAL BUHARI#APCJungleJustice
— LOLA (@CuteNaija) February 18, 2019
Punishing a crime/taking someone’s life without due process is a crime itself.. is that not why we get.angry when pple burn thieves with tyres?? If such things are allowed, it becomes an avenue for pple to gang up, kill someone & lay any accusation on the person#APCJungleJustice pic.twitter.com/Pm2AgeDDaP— Deji Adeyanju Tcee 🇳🇬🇷🇺 (@emmaikumeh) February 18, 2019
If I tell you I’m not scared of coming out to vote on Saturday I’ll be lying. Do have intentions to snatch ballot boxes? NO! Why should I cast my vote in fear of loosing my life at this age of ‘it was an ACCIDENTAL DISCHARGE’? #APCJungleJustice— Optimus Prime (@Ashaice) February 18, 2019
We are not in a Banana Republic.This presidential directive may result in more harm than good
Trigger happy law enforcement officers have been given an opportunity to kill innocent citizens and tag the ballot-box snatchers. #APCJungleJustice#SnatchAtYourOwnRisk
— NANS Zone B Director of Sports (@thahalver) February 18, 2019
With this #SnatchAtYourOwnRisk ish,didn’t our president consider that many people can go on vengeful rampages & claim ballot boxes were being snatched?
Did he & his “advisers” think that through or they just don’t care???😭😭 #APCJungleJustice— Blithe!👽🎧 (@h_abnrmal) February 18, 2019
You may believe PMB’s #SnatchAtYourOwnRisk is for the greater good, but let me remind you that 20,000 Philipinos died extrajudicially because Rodrygo Dutarte adopted this policy on drug crimes.#APCJungleJustice— Mazi Marvin the Paranoid Android (@Boboye_Ak) February 18, 2019
Buhari’s threat to the lives of Nigerians, at the opening of APC’s national caucus meeting in Abuja today, is a direct call for jungle justice #APCJungleJustice pic.twitter.com/3KsKWbOoDt— Le philosophe (@dibangoxx) February 18, 2019
God forbid but if care is not taken, we will be witnessing massacre on Saturday in the name of #SnatchatYourOwnRisk. Direct execution of ballot box snatchers at the polling unit will cause chaos. #BusesForDemocracy #APCJungleJustice #APCCaucus #APCCaucusMeeting— Yasoh (@Yaseerkugu) February 18, 2019
#APCJungleJustice in 2011 Buhari with his unguarded utterance make his supporters to kill almost 800 pple after the election, now he is making such reckless utterance again. The low budget Osama Bin Laden can never change.— kingsley etim (@KingsEtim) February 18, 2019
The last time @MBuhari issued this dog whistle calling on people to kill anyone they thought rigged elections, it led to the deaths of about 800 people across the country.This is an @AlJazeera report from that incident. pic.twitter.com/ziIdpan8Up
— Igala_king (@I_Am_Ilemona) February 18, 2019
Buhari wants the police to shoot when they see people snatching ballot boxes. No arrest, no defence, no conviction & no sentencing. Just summary execution of the alleged culprit. Very soon, we won’t need courts, judges or lawyers. Buhari’s 1983 is coming back #APCJungleJustice pic.twitter.com/PfE0ehGENe— Matthew Ottah™ (@MatthewOttah) February 18, 2019
Buhari’s wife just called him “GMB” – GENERAL Muhammad Buhari after he Ordered Soldiers to kill ballot box snatchers in a democracy. She has just reassured us that her husband is not a repentant Democrat but a Despot. Vote them out #APCJungleJustice https://t.co/Nxgx463YxC— Atiku Abubakar (@Iam_fahmooh) February 18, 2019
Any security officer that shoots any innocent PDP party agent should be mobbed,lynched,their guns collected and they should be shot and killed by the electorates.Since everybody won Mara make we all Mara finish #APCJungleJustice— TUGREAT (@tugreat) February 18, 2019
They are not confident of Saturday’s poll. They are doing everything within their powers to postpone it again. Their depreciated popularity is a HUGE concern for them and their stakeholders. They now resort to threats of violence. #APCJungleJustice— #NONSO (@midasnonso) February 18, 2019
Your President is telling people to shoot at sight without trial and you are here trending #SnatchAtYourOwnRisk and supporting #APCJungleJustice. Don’t come here to make noise when stray bullet hits your relative on that day.
Be wise. I made a huge mistake in 2015.— Shola (@shawler2u) February 18, 2019
Buhari wants to scare PDP Agents at the Poll by issuing orders to the armed forces to shoot and kill. With such order, trying to protect the votes would be termed disrupting electoral process and trust me, only PDP Agents would be targeted!— Jackson Ude (@jacksonpbn) February 18, 2019
Buhari does not belong to this our world, he belongs to the antiquity and middle ages. In the present world we’re talking reforms and policies and he’s talking jungle justice. #APCJungleJustice— Le_Password (@iamdpassword) February 18, 2019
The president is encouraging lawlessness. There is a penalty for ballot box snatching. With this order, security operatives can kill anyone or opposition supporters and frame them as ballot box snatchers. #APCJungleJustice— Lawdkay (@Lawdkaay) February 18, 2019
The tyrant will always suspend the Constitution. #APCJungleJustice pic.twitter.com/FpyGLbGHmM— Benny Umoren (@BennyUmoren) February 18, 2019
Nigeria’s President @MBuhari says he has ordered the police and military to be “ruthless” with vote-riggers, following the last-minute postponement of #NigeriaDecides2019. Critics said his comments condoned “jungle justice”. pic.twitter.com/WOALg3KOEY— BBC News Africa (@BBCAfrica) February 18, 2019
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