The Nigerian Women Trust Fund (NWTF) has demanded justice for the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Woman Leader, Mrs Acheju Salome Abuh who was burnt to death by suspected hoodlums.
Addressing newsmen in Abuja, the Chief Executive Officer of NWTF, Ms Mufuliat Fijabi called on the Inspector-General of Police, Mohammed Adamu to fish out and prosecute the killers of the PDP Woman Leader.
Fijabi who spoke on the sidelines of a Women conference said that the women group are concerned about the high level of violence before, during and after the elections.
According to her, an attack on one woman is an attack on all Nigerian women and indeed womal all over the world.
“In spite of the increase in women’s participation in the electoral process, many women around the 36 States and the Federal Capital Territory in Nigeria continue to experience significant violence around election time.
“Both female voters and politicians have experienced increased harassment, arson, violence and psychological abuse without any national action to bring it to a halt.
“All election observer groups on ground during the two elections including, the Civil Society Situation Room convened by PLAC, Centre for Democracy and Development, (CDD), YIAGA Africa, the Transition Monitoring Group have all also condemned this level of violence,” she said.
According to her, these kinds of incidents are not only a threat to the stability of the electoral process but also affect women’s participation in development.
“Everyone has the right to life, liberty and choice, and as equal citizens of the nation, women’s choices should not be a premise for the violations of their rights.
“We hereby join the rising demand for justice by calling on the Inspector General of Police to conduct an immediate investigation into all these cases of gender based violence, the most recent being the burning to death of Mrs Acheju Salome Abuh in Kogi State.
“This is a threat to inclusive democracy in Nigeria. We call on all relevant authorities to take action to bring all perpetrators to book immediately; an injury to one woman is an injury to all women,” she said.
Similarly, the President of Pan African Young Women Development Initiative, Dr Jophia Gupar said that Mrs Abuh paid the supreme price for women in politics.
Gupar said that her death must not be allowed to go down for nothing saying that the change and good governance women yearn for must be realised.
