Police arrest 10 over destruction of INEC vehicles in Akwa Ibom


The Akwa Ibom Police Command has arrested 10 persons who allegedly set
ablaze 11 vehicles of the Independent National Electoral Commission
(INEC).

The command said the offence was committed at the INEC office in Obot
Akara local government area of the state. The police spokesman, Macdon
Odiko, disclosed this on Monday while briefing reporters on the
security situation in the state.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the vehicles were meant
to convey election materials from Uyo to Obot Akara.  Odiko said the
suspects were arrested on February 15, the eve of the postponed
elections at about 10:05pm.

He explained that the hoodlums during the period killed one unknown
person at the Obot Akara local government area close to INEC office.

“Furthermore, on February 15, 2019, the eve of the 2019 elections, at
about 10:05pm, hoodlums at Obot Akara local government area, close to
INEC office killed one person whose identity is unknown, burnt eleven
(11) buses and vandalised two.

“The command acted swiftly and arrested 10 persons in connection with
the crime, and the following exhibits were recovered: two locally made
short guns, twenty five (25) live cartridges, weeds suspected to be
marijuana, two machetes, charms of different types.

“Other items recovered include; one knife, one pair of scissors, hot
drink, cell phones, dead bird, human hairs and two axes,” he said.

The CP said the suspects would be transferred to Force Criminal
Investigation Department (FCID) for more investigation.

The police spokesperson added that on the same February 15, the
command apprehended 41 persons at Angeline Hotel opposite Dove
International School, Uyo, who came from Bayelsa, Delta and Ondo
states.

He said the arrested persons claimed to come to the state as observers
of the rescheduled elections.

He said the suspects could not give ”any proper or reasonable identity
of themselves” and had no INEC identification tag.

Makama said investigation was ongoing to determine their true identity
and purpose in the state.

The commissioner added that on February 17, the command apprehended
two suspects, who confessed to being political thugs hired from Ukwa
village in Odukpani LGA in Cross River by an unidentified politician.

The CP urged politicians to play the game according to the rules.

One of the suspects from Bayelsa, Okoroda Scaine said they came to
Akwa Ibom as election observers under the ‘Society for Advancement for
Credible Leadership and Observation’.

“I am Okoroda Scaine from Bayelsa, we all submitted our passports to
Society for Advancement for Credible Leadership and Observation, an
organisation that is registered and accredited by INEC for the
elections.

“We are told that our names were sent to INEC and we will likely
monitor the elections in Uyo here.’’

“We came on Thursday to confirm if our names were there or not. We
were in the room at Angeline Hotel when we were arrested at about 3 am
on February 15.

“We were lodged in the hotel by one Berafa Bedfon, whom we cannot
reach now. We are 41 in number, and our intention was to come to Akwa
Ibom and check if our names are there,” he said.

(NAN)

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