Victims Of Post – 2011 Election Violence Allege Neglect By FG, Seek Compensation

SAN FRANCISCO, January 20, (THEWILL) – With only three weeks to the beginning of the general elections in the country, tension is rising in Gombe, the Gombe State capital, as victims of the post-2011 election violence are threatening not to participate in the exercise over what they described as neglect by the Federal Government.

On Tuesday, over 500 victims of the post-2011 election violence staged a peaceful protest in Gombe, accusing the Federal Government of abandoning them to their fate four years after the incident.

The protesters, who displayed different placards to convey their grievances, said they had been betrayed for voting the President Goodluck Jonathan – led Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) as the Federal Government has since left them to suffer untold hardship afterwards.

The protesters, who were led by their spokesman, Julius Joseph Bajoga , said they have been disappointed by the Federal Government after voting for it and losing loved ones and property worth millions of Naira.

According to Bajoga, out of the 14 states affected, victims in nine states were compensated two years ago and recently victims in Kaduna States were compensated while those in Gombe have been abandoned to their fate.

“We have done all that we are supposed to do, we went to our Governor and discussed with him and he said we should exercise more patience, that he has been talking about the money with Mr. President and approval given but that up till now the money has not been released, ” Bajoga lamented.

According to him, “Another election is barely 28 days from now, we are all Nigerians and just like those that have been compensated, we also need to be compensated too.

“We voted President Jonathan and he got the required votes from Gombe that he needed to be elected in 2011, he won the election but we lost because we are terribly suffering now.”

Lamenting the untold hardship the victims are facing, he said “many children have been made orphans, some women made widows, many children have been deprived of going to school, my house was completely burnt down with two vehicles in it at Bajoga.”

Another victim, Mrs. Rhoda Lewa, who became a widow during the incident, said “our four bedroom apartment was razed down during the violence and up till now no one has come up to tell us anything.”