Attacks on facilities: INEC summon emergency security meeting; Police launch investigation into Osun fire
By Emmanuel Oloniruha, Abuja/Olajide Idowu, Osogbo, Nov. 10, 2022
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has summoned an emergency security meeting for Friday over fresh attacks on its facilities in Ogun and Osun States.
The commission announced this in a statement issued by its National Commissioner and Chairman, Information and Voter Education Committee, Mr Festus Okoye, in Abuja on Thursday.
Okoye said that the emergency meeting of the Inter-Agency Consultative Committee on Election Security (ICCES) would discuss the disturbing trend.
Okoye said that INEC received two disturbing reports of attacks on its local government offices in the two affected states of Ogun and Osun.
“The Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) for Ogun State, Dr Niyi Ijalaiye, reported that our office in Abeokuta South Local Government Area was attacked and set ablaze.
“The incident occurred around 1.15 a.m when some unidentified persons overpowered the security personnel on duty and set the entire building ablaze.
“The main building and all the Commission’s movable assets in the office were destroyed.
“They include 904 ballot boxes, 29 voting cubicles, 30 megaphones, 57 election bags, eight electric power generators and 65,699 uncollected Permanent Voters Cards (PVCs),” Okoye said.
He added that similarly, the REC for Osun State, Dr Mutiu Agboke, reported that INEC office in Ede South Local Government Area was attacked and set ablaze.
Okoye said that the incident occurred in the early hours of Thursday morning when some unidentified persons attacked the building and set a portion of it ablaze.
“Fortunately, the damage to our Ede South Local Government was limited to a section of the building and only some furniture items were destroyed.
“The attention of the Nigeria Police Force and other security and safety agencies has been drawn to the incidents and they have commenced investigation.”
Okoye said that with just 106 days to the 2023 General Election when the Commission had commenced the movement of materials to its offices nationwide, those simultaneous attacks were very worrisome indeed.
Okoye noted that the rising incidents of attacks on supporters of various political parties since the commencement of campaign barely two months ago and the use of hate and incendiary language by some politicians were extremely disturbing.
“Accordingly, the Commission has convened an emergency meeting of ICCES tomorrow, Friday, Nov. 11, 2023, to discuss the disturbing trend.
Meanwhile, the Osun Police Command has said it would carry out a thorough investigation to unravel the circumstances behind the fire outbreak that destroyed part of the INEC Office in Ede South Local Government Area, on Thursday.
The Command’s Spokesperson, SP Yemisi Opalola, made this known in a statement, saying the state Commissioner of Police has ordered the Area Commander in charge of the area/Divisional Police Officers to carry out a thorough investigation on the incident.
“This is to inform the general public that the Osun State Police Command is aware of the case of Arson by yet to be identified person(s) that occurred at the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) office at Ede South Local Government of the State this morning.
“Notwithstanding that the fire incident is minor, the Commissioner of Police, CP Faleye Olaleye, has ordered the Area Commander in charge of the area/Divisional Police Officers to carry out a thorough investigation on the incident to unravel the circumstances that led to inferno.
“Also, the CP has directed the Deputy Commissioner of Police in charge of operations/Area Commanders and the DPOs to emplace maximum security in INEC offices and other critical government infrastructures in the State to avert any further occurrence,” the statement reads.
