House of Reps to investigate murders of Gberegbe, Amachree by FSARS, Army

The House of Representatives Joint Committees on Army, Human Rights, Justice and Police Affairs, say it will investigate the atrocities committed by security agents during the 2019 General Elections in Rivers State.

The House of Representatives said it has Scheduled an Investigative Hearing on the need to among other issues investigate the killings of Dr. Ferry Gberegbe, a lecturer with Ken-Saro Wiwa Polytechnic, Bori in Rivers State, who was shot in his lower abdomen by men of the FSARS in March, 2019 at Khana Local Government Area collation
center and Mrs. Ibisaki Amachree who was shot dead by men of the Nigerian Army.

Dr Ferry Gberegbe who was the agent of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, during the March 9 governorship and house of assembly election died at the St Patrick hospital in Port Harcourt from his injuries.

Mrs Ibisaki Amachree, an ad-hoc staff of the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, was shot by soldiers who allegedly tried to snatch ballot boxes in Bakana, Degema Local Government Area.

There have been calls for security agents who participated in the inglorious electoral atrocities in the state to be prosecuted.

The army had sent a team to the state to among other things, investigate the roles its personnel played in the election, especially the killing of over 37 persons in Abonnema, Akuku Toru LGA on 23rd February. However, the military was criticised for not including civil society organisations in its investigative panel.

Similarly, a Judicial Commission of Inquiry into the violence that characterised the general elections has been set up by the Rivers State Government.

The House of Representatives said it will also investigate the harassment, threat to killing of innocent persons with the aim to instil fear in the people; killing of innocent, torture and shooting of unarmed civilian voters by men of the FSARS and the Nigerian Army in several parts of Rivers State, with clear cases of harassment and intimidation of voters and electoral officials, and sporadic shootings by men of the security agencies.

The House of Representatives will also investigate reports on a viral video clips in circulation on cases of intimation, harassment, torture and shooting to killing of unarmed civilian voters by men of SARS and the Nigerian Army in several parts of Rivers State, including Bori, Abonnema in Akuku Toru, Bonny, Emohua , Ikwerre and Okrika Local Government Areas of Rivers State; and many other cases of extra Judicial killing in the state.

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