JUST IN: UN reacts to death of PDP women leader in Kogi State, cautions Buhari on hate speech bill

Kogi State is still in the limelight and mostly for the wrong reasons especially following the recently conducted governorship election where thugs took over the entire process in conjunction with security operatives deployed to ensure a hitch free exercise.



Not only was the election marred with violence and thuggery, lives were also lost in the process. The gruesome murďer of PDP's women leader in the State has attracted the most attention, and now the United Nations has expressed sadness over the loss, and thanked the president for taking steps to ensuring justice is done.

The United Nations via its Deputy Secretary-General, Amina Mohammed, who led a delegation to pay a courtesy call visit to President Muhammadu Buhari at the State House, also voiced opposition to deąth penalty as punishment for hate speech as prescribed in the Social Media and Hate Speech Bills currently before the Senate.


In response to a question about the discussion she had with the President on the kıllings in Kogi elections, she said,

“Mine was to commend him for condemning the kılling of the woman. We did not go into a discussion around it. But the fact that he has shown zero tolerance for it and insisted on an investigation. For us, it’s important, especially as we start this week on gender-based violence in all its ramifications.”




On whether she subscribed to the idea of social media censorship as proposed by the Nigerian government, she commended the move to tackle hate speech but voiced opposition to deąth penalty.



There has been calls for INEC to cancel the entire election held in Kogi State over several incidents of violence, thuggery, and manipulation of election figures in favor of a certain political party in the State, but which fell into deaf ears.

However, while condemnations continue to pour, INEC which seem unconcerned by the reported incidents, went ahead to declare incumbent governor Yahaya Bello as the winner. President Muhammadu Buhari also in his congratulatory message to Governor Bello, played down reported cases of violence in the State, describing the incidents as merely "pockets of violence".


As for the bills seeking to regulate the Nigerian Social media space, there's currently an ongoing protest outside the National Assembly in Abuja based on earlier reports. Nigerians describe the bill as a calculated attempt to suppress freedom of speech in the country, therefore, are demanding that the bills be thrown out.