Governor Ademola Adeleke of Osun has inaugurated a committee on election violence victims and released N500 million from the state’s Election Violence Victims Relief Endowment Fund for affected persons.

Mr Adeleke, in a statement issued by his spokesperson, Olawale Rasheed, in Osogbo on Monday, said the fund was set aside to verify and address claims by persons affected by election-related violence.

The committee, chaired by the Speaker of the Osun State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Adewale Egbedun, is expected to undertake a transparent and credible verification process.

The process is to establish genuine claims and ensure that relief reaches deserving victims.

The state government said the initiative underscored Mr Adeleke’s commitment to supporting citizens who suffered losses, injuries, displacement or other forms of hardship as a result of election-related violence.

The membership of the committee includes Mr Egbedun (Chairman), Eniola Omotoso (member), and Emmanuel Ologun (Representative of Civil Society Organisations/member).

Other members are Balkiss Akinleye, Moshood Suleiman, ministry of information and Moses Faremi, ministry of justice.

Also on the committee are Yemi Lawal (Member), Sola Sonibare, executive secretary, Osun Investment Promotion Agency (secretary), as well as nominees from the Nigeria Police Force and the State Security Service (SSS).

The committee is mandated to receive and verify petitions, claims and supporting evidence submitted by victims.

It is supposed to determine the eligibility of claimants and recommend appropriate relief to verified victims in accordance with the guidelines approved by the state government.

The government directed all affected persons with genuine claims to cooperate with the committee by providing accurate information and relevant evidence necessary for the verification process.

The committee is expected to ensure that the N500 million relief fund is administered transparently, fairly and strictly for the benefit of verified victims. 

(NAN)