SNAPSHOTS

In Nigeria, Violence Threatens Election Integrity and Government Legitimacy

Dec 15, 2022 | 20:45 GMT

A police armored vehicle is deployed at a bus station at a boundary between Lagos and neighboring Ogun State in Lagos on Aug. 3, 2022.

A police armored vehicle is deployed at a bus station at a boundary between Lagos and neighboring Ogun State in Lagos on Aug. 3, 2022.

(Pius Utomi EKPEI / AFP)

Regional and religious electoral violence will threaten the integrity of Nigeria’s February general elections, likely weakening the next government’s ability to implement policy at a time of increasing economic challenges. Nigerian police reportedly killed three gunmen in a Dec. 12 shootout following an attack on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) office in Owerri, the capital of Nigeria’s southeastern Imo state. The Imo state police spokesman told reporters that officers repelled the attack and arrested two of the perpetrators, but only after the attackers threw explosives onto the facility's roof, destroying part of the building. No group has claimed responsibility for the attack, but Nigerian authorities regularly attribute similar incidents to the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), a separatist group based in Nigeria’s southeastern region. The incident took place ahead of the general election on Feb. 25, when millions of Nigerians will elect their next president and vice president, as...

Keep Reading

Register to read three free articles

Proceed to sign up

Register Now

Already have an account?

Sign In