INEC to hold security meeting over destruction of its offices

By EMMANUEL OLONIRUHA

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) says it has scheduled an emergency meeting of its Inter-Agency Consultative Committee on Election Security (ICCES) for next week, to evolve ways of protecting its facilities nationwide.

Mr Festus Okoye, INEC National Commissioner and Chairman, Information and Voter Education Committee said this in a statement in Abuja on Monday.

Okoye said the meeting was important following recent attacks on INEC offices in different parts of the country.

He said the Commission met on Monday and discussed a wide-range of issues, including a disturbing report from Abia.

“The state INEC Resident Electoral Commissioner, Dr Joseph Iloh, reported that INEC’s recently renovated office in Ohafia Local Government Area (LGA) of the state was set ablaze on Sunday night by unknown assailants,” he said.

Okoye said there were no casualties on the part of INEC staff on guard duty but the building was virtually destroyed.

“Apart from furniture, all electoral materials and office equipment were destroyed.

“The matter has been reported to the police for investigation,” he said.

Okoye said that only last week, the commission reported an attack on its office in Essien Udim LGA of Akwa Ibom.

He recalled that INEC expressed anxiety about the impact of such attacks on electoral activities.

“The latest incident in Abia is one too many. This is not the first attack on the commission’s facilities in the state in recent times.

“Five months ago on Dec. 13, 2020, the INEC LGA office in Aba South was completely burnt, while that of Arochukwu LGA was vandalised and ransacked in October 2020.

“These facilities are national assets, which must be protected. Accordingly, the commission is convening an emergency meeting of the ICCES next week to discuss this disturbing trend,” he said.

Okoye, however, reassured that all activities in relation to the ongoing expansion of voter access to polling units and preparations for the resumption of Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) as well as all scheduled elections would hold as planned. (NAN)