By Raphael Ede
Enugu
Enugu state Police Command yesterday confirmed that no life was lost before, during and after the state’s November 4 local government election.
The state Independent Electoral Commission (ENSIEC), conducted the election into the 17 council areas and 261 political wards on Saturday.
The command’s spokesperson, Ebere Amaraizu, stated in Enugu that speculations that some persons were killed were false and unfounded.
“There was no loss of life anywhere in the state,” he insisted.
Amaraizu said the police and other security agencies were able to persuasively calm nerves and return normalcy in locations where violence broke out on Saturday, adding that some groups’ resistance that the election would not hold, was professionally handled by police and other security agencies as the agitators were peacefully dispersed.
“The command wish to state that there was an issue in which some electoral officials and materials were held hostage by some group of persons.
“The group insisted that election would not hold in Oji River and its environs and also threatened to burn down the council secretariat should the election go on.
“However, the situation lasted until the arrival of the Commissioner of Police in the state, Mr Mohammed Danmallam, and his entourage who had been on visitation to polling stations and booths monitoring security situations.
He noted that normalcy had returned to the area, “leading to commencement of distribution of electoral materials to centres and wards in Oji River and its environs.”
