Gunmen at early hours on Wednesday set ablaze a facility of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in Ojoto, Idemili South Local Government Area of Anambra State.
INEC National Commissioner and Chairman of Information Education, Festus Okoye, confirmed this in a statement where he said that the building was “substantially damaged”. He said the Resident Electoral Commissioner in Anambra State, Elizabeth Agwu, reported the attack to the commission.
He said, “All furniture and other items were destroyed, including non-sensitive materials recently delivered in readiness for the 2023 general election.…… Among the items lost to the inferno are 729 ballot boxes, 243 voting cubicles, 256 election bags, 11 mega phones, one electric power generator and large quantities of indelible ink and liquid gum.”
The INEC official, however, said Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) kept in the commission’s “fireproof cabinet” were not affected during the attack.
The gunmen also attacked Nnobi Police Station and a residential building within the station, located in the same Council Area. The hoodlums were armed with IEDs, petrol bombs and other explosives invaded the facilities at about 1:45am on Wednesday, in four unmarked Sienna vehicles.
Confirming the incident, the Anambra State Police Public Relations Officer, PPRO, DSP Ikenga Tochukwu, said security had been reinforced in the areas, just as the situation is still being monitored. According to Ikenga, “Anambra State Police Command today 1/2/2023 has reinforced security deployment in the state, following an attack on the INEC office in idemili South, Ojoto and Nnobi Police Station. “The hoodlums came in their numbers by 1:45 am today 1/2/2023, with four unmarked Sienna vehicles, armed with IEDs, Petrol bombs and other explosives, invaded the INEC office, the Police Station and the residential building in the station.
The gun men, while shooting killed a 16-year-old boy, a relative of a serving policeman in the station, while the other victim was a 15-year-old female who sustained a gunshot injury and is in the hospital where she is receiving treatment.
