Eniola Yekini
About 400 residents of Osun State have come forward to submit claims for relief over losses allegedly suffered during the recent election violence in the state.
The claimants appeared before the Election Violence Victims Relief Committee constituted by the Osun State Government to verify cases of victims affected by violence before, during and after the August 15 governorship election.
Among those who appeared before the committee was Tolulope Ajayi, wife of Ajayi Aderogba, who was allegedly shot dead in Esa-Oke during the election-related violence.
Ajayi reportedly narrated the circumstances surrounding the killing of her husband while presenting her claim before members of the committee.
The verification and cross-examination exercise, which commenced on Wednesday, is aimed at determining genuine claims and ensuring that relief gets to residents who suffered death, injuries, destruction of property or other forms of loss as a result of the violence.
Speaking at the commencement of the exercise, Chairman of the committee, Rt. Hon. Adewale Olumide Egbedun, said the process was a significant step towards identifying and providing relief to victims of the recent election violence.
Egbedun, speaker of Osun State House of Assembly, said the committee would carefully examine every claim and assess the evidence presented by claimants before making recommendations for assistance.
He assured the claimants that the exercise would be conducted with fairness, transparency and compassion, stressing that the committee would not compromise the integrity of the process.
According to him, “The commencement of the verification and cross-examination process is necessary to ensure that every claim is carefully examined and that assistance reaches those who genuinely suffered losses.”
He appealed to all claimants to cooperate with the committee by providing accurate information and relevant supporting documents to facilitate the verification process.
The chairman further assured genuine victims that their cases would receive the attention they deserved, promising that the committee would leave no stone unturned in ensuring that the relief process was credible, just and meaningful.
Prior to the commencement of the physical verification exercise, the committee had embarked on public sensitisation across the three senatorial districts of the state.
It made special appearances on about 10 radio stations across Osun to inform residents about the relief programme and encourage victims and affected persons to come forward with their claims.
The committee is expected to continue the verification and cross-examination of claimants as it works towards identifying genuine victims and determining the appropriate relief for those affected by the election-related violence.