Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice of Zamfara State, Nigeria, Nura Zarumi has asked the federal and state governments to enact laws that will punish any politician that engages youths as political thugs during elections.
Speaking at an event in Gusau, the state capital, Zarumi said the law should be backed with full-scale enforcement on any politician found wanting no matter how highly placed he or she may be.
“Political thuggery is one of the major problems bedeviling Nigeria’s electoral process which if not checked will continue to undermine the conduct of credible, free, and fair elections and in turn entrench bad governance.
“This is because politicians who failed to provide the desired development to the citizens believed the only way to get to power is to use political thugs to perpetrate snatching of ballot boxes and violence during elections.
“For guests at this event put together to educate and enlighten the youths on the need to resist any attempt by politicians to engage them as political thugs, explained that the reason the political class has refused to empower the youths educationally, economically and socially to thrive is to continue to use them as political thugs,” he said.
“If there is a law in place to safeguard and protect the youths from being used as thugs, it could help in greater measure to stem the tide and thereby help them to channel their energy for a productive venture.