INEC Meets Security Agencies to Curtail Arson on Assets

•Hoodlums raze Enugu HQs

Chuks Okocha in Abuja, Christopher Isiguzo and Gideon Arinze in Enugu

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has disclosed that it would hold a security meeting with all security agencies as part of the efforts to curtail the burning of its offices across the states of the federation.
This is coming as hoodlums have attacked the commission’s headquarters in Enugu State and set it ablaze.

The commission’s emergency meeting with heads of all the security agencies in the country under the auspices of the Inter-Agency Consultative Committee on Election Security (ICCES), is billed to hold on Wednesday (tomorrow), after the commission’s meeting with its 37 Resident Electoral Commissions (RECs) in all the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

A statement issued yesterday by the INEC’s National Commissioner in charge of Publicity and Chairman of Voter Education, Mr. Festus Okoye said, “Last night, Sunday, May 16, 2021, the Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) for Enugu State, Emeka Ononamadu, reported an attack on the State Headquarters office of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in Enugu.

“Some unidentified persons overpowered the security personnel on duty around 9.00 pm and tried to set the entire building ablaze. The attention of the security agencies as well as the Federal and State Fire Services in Enugu was drawn to the unfolding situation and they responded swiftly.

“The attackers set the foyer ablaze, vandalised some offices in the main building, and caused extensive damage to some of the Commission’s movable assets within the premises.”, Okoye explained.

He further said that Six utility pick-up vehicles (Toyota Hilux) were burnt down while two more were smashed and damaged.

He explained that the security agencies who were at the scene had commenced an investigation.

“As we categorically mentioned in our earlier statements, the spate of attacks on the Commission’s facilities portends danger to national electoral activities,” he added.
In view of this, he said that the Commission will hold an emergency meeting with the RECs tomorrow.

At least, 20 offices of the Commission have been gutted by fire in the last two years. A breakdown of the fire incidents showed that the most affected states include Akwa Ibom (four); Abia (three); Anambra (two) and Imo (two). Other states that witnessed fire incidents between February 2019 and May 2021 are: Borno, Ebonyi, Jigawa, Kano, Ondo, Plateau and Rivers. Abuja was also affected. It was learnt that while 11 offices were burnt by hoodlums, eight others were gutted by fire under mysterious circumstances or by an electrical fault.

Enugu CP Orders Manhunt for Assailants

Meanwhile, the Enugu State Commissioner of Police, CP Mohammed Ndatsu Aliyu has ordered his men to smoke out without delay those who attacked the headquarters of the INEC in the state.

In a statement made available to journalists yesterday and signed by the Police Public Relations Officer, Enugu State Police Command, ASP Daniel Ndukwe, the CP ordered a full-scale investigation to unravel the mystery behind the act as well as fish out the assailants.

The statement noted that Aliyu had visited the scene alongside heads of other security agencies in the state.

“There, he ordered the emplacement of adequate security within the precincts of the office and enjoined law-abiding citizens of the state to remain vigilant and promptly volunteer useful information that will help the Police in the investigation,” he said.