The Federal Executive Council (FEC) on Wednesday approved the setting up of special election offences tribunal to try people involve in election violence.
The approval is sequel to the recommendations of the white paper committee on the Justice Ahmed Lemu report, chaired by the Minister of Lands and Housing Amal Pepple.
Briefing journalists after the weekly cabinet meeting, the Minister of Information, Labaran Maku said that after a long deliberation on the white paper the Federal Executive Council said that it must do all in its powers to forestall election crisis in the country in future.
Mr Maku also said that the Council approved the recommendations to ban any youth group have been identified to be tools of election violence.
“We have had incidences where political office seekers keep these specialised youth groups that run like militia during election campaigns and these groups from security reports are believed to escalate election violence,” he said.
He said the Attorney General and Minister of Justice have been directed to work with the Inspector General of police to “proscribe all youth groups set up specifically to be used as thugs during elections in Nigeria.”
The post-election violence that followed the 2011 presidential elections in Nigeria claimed several lives and property. To avoid a repeat, the Federal Government set up the Justice Ahmed Lemu to find ways to nip violence in the bud.
For over eight hours President Goodluck Jonathan and his team deliberated on the white paper from the report and approved eight key recommendations.
Among the recommendations that were approved are the establishment of special election tribunal, proscription of youth groups across the country, compulsory teaching of civic education, job creation for the teeming Nigerian youth, investigation of past electoral offenders, demarcation of cattle grazing routes, and the need to have a renaissance Nigeria.