UPDATE: HOODLUMS RAZE ENUGU INEC OFFICE, DESTROY BALLOT BOXES, OTHERS

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On Sunday night, thugs set fire to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) office in the Igboeze North Local Government Area of Enugu State, burning roughly 748 ballot boxes and 240 voting booths in the process.

In a statement released on Monday in Abuja, Festus Okoye, the National Commissioner for INEC’s Information and Voter Education Committee, made this announcement.

The statement reads: “Unknown arsonists set fire to our Igboeze North Local Government Area office, according to the Resident Electoral Commissioner for Enugu State, Mr. Emeka Ononamadu. The attack took place on Sunday, July 3, 2022, at 11:48 p.m.

“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.

You may recall that on May 23, 2021, unidentified gunmen attacked our office in the nearby Igboeze South Local Government Area in the same way.

The State Headquarters in Enugu was attacked on May 16, 2021, and the Udenu Local Government Area office was attacked on May 13, 2021.

Since these attacks, the Commission has made significant progress toward recovery and has resumed routine operations there, including the CVR and PVC collection.

To protect our premises, “The Commission will continue to engage with the security agencies and the emergency services.”