ENUGU: 748 Ballot Boxes, Other Materials Destroyed As Gunmen Burn INEC Office

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has confirmed the burning of its office in Igboeze North Local Government Area of Enugu State on Sunday night.

The commission said unidentified gunmen attacked the office at about 11:48 pm, during which 748 ballot boxes and 240 voting cubicles, among other equipment, were destroyed.

The incident was confirmed by Mr. Emeka Ononamadu, the state’s Resident Electoral Commissioner.

“The arsonists overpowered the security guards, forced their way into the premises and set the building ablaze. Although no casualties were reported, 748 ballot boxes, 240 voting cubicles, office furniture and equipment were destroyed in spite of the best effort of the Enugu State Fire Service deployed from Nsukka. The Commission is working to ascertain the status of voter registration machines for the ongoing Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) exercise as well as uncollected Permanent Voters Cards (PVCs) locked up in the fireproof cabinet.

“The incident has been reported to the Nigeria Police for investigation and further action.

“The attack, coming in the middle of the voter registration exercise and other preparations for 2023 General Election, is worrisome. It will be recalled that on 23rd May 2021, our office in the neighbouring Igboeze South Local Government Area was attacked in a similar manner by unknown gunmen. This followed earlier attacks on Udenu Local Government Area office on 13th May 2021 and the State Headquarters in Enugu on 16th May 2021. The Commission has since substantially recovered from these attacks and resumed normal activities there, including the CVR and collection of PVCs.

“The Commission will continue to work with the security agencies and the emergency services to protect our facilities,” INEC National Commissioner for Information and Voter Education Committee, Festus Okoye, said in a statement.

THE WHISTLER recalls that amid the recurrent attacks in 2021, the INEC Chairman, Mahmood Yakubu, had warned that the commission may be unable to effectively conduct elections in 2023 if the attacks on its facilities should continue.

“…these attacks are no longer freak events but appear to be quite orchestrated and targeted at INEC. Clearly, these are acts of unjustifiable aggression which may undermine the Commission’s capacity to organise elections and dent the nation’s electoral process,” Yakubu said in reaction to an attack on two INEC offices in Ebonyi State in 2021.

The commission recorded no fewer than 42 attacks on its offices across the country within fourteen months of conducting the 2019 presidential election.