Nigeria cannot build a credible democracy while political violence remains an informal instrument of political competition. The ballot box is supposed to settle political disagreements; when thugs replace persuasion with intimidation, democracy begins to resemble a marketplace where fear is the currency.
The problem is not merely the young men recruited to cause disorder. It is the ecosystem that makes political violence useful: patronage, impunity, weak enforcement and the calculation that electoral violence can produce political advantage without serious consequences. INEC itself has repeatedly called for violent actors to be arrested and prosecuted.
The evidence of the damage is difficult to dismiss. Amnesty International documented violence involving party militants, criminal gangs and other armed groups during Nigeria’s 2023 electoral period, including attacks intended to intimidate voters, candidates and political opponents. It reported 109 election related deaths during the build up to those elections.
This is why enforcement matters. Arrest is not supposed to be punishment by accusation; it is a lawful investigative step where there are reasonable grounds to suspect an offence. Evidence must be gathered, suspects must receive due process, and courts must determine guilt. Political connections must neither trigger persecution nor prevent prosecution.
Nigeria’s electoral framework already recognises the danger. INEC states that electoral offences can attract fines, imprisonment or both, and that persons who breach applicable provisions may be arrested, charged and prosecuted following investigation by relevant security agencies. The principle should apply without regard to party, office or influence.
The consequences extend beyond election season. A political culture that tolerates intimidation gradually teaches citizens that power belongs to whoever can mobilise the strongest street force. Institutions become weaker, voters become frightened, journalists face greater risks and peaceful participation becomes increasingly expensive.
There is also a warning in Nigeria’s recent experience. INEC’s 2023 election report recorded attacks involving thuggery and hoodlums among incidents affecting electoral infrastructure. In February 2026, INEC again stressed the need for security agencies to curb the misuse of thugs and enforce electoral rules ahead of the 2027 election.
Nigeria does not need political vendettas disguised as law enforcement. It needs something more difficult and more durable: evidence based policing, impartial investigations, transparent prosecution and courts allowed to determine guilt independently. Democracy cannot survive where violence becomes political currency. The law must remain stronger than the political machine.
– Inah Boniface Ocholi writes from Ayah – Igalamela/Odolu LGA, Kogi state.
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