NO fewer than 20 persons were reportedly killed, yesterday, as violence, suppression of voters and apathy took the upper hand in many locations across the country in the governorship and state assembly elections.
There was also non-arrival/late arrival of Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, officials in some polling units, malfunctioning of the Bimodal Voters Accreditation System, BVAS, machines, and refusal of electoral officers to upload results to the INEC Results Viewing Portal, IRev, from the polling booths as was witnessed during the February 25 presidential poll.
Incidents of BVAS and ballot paper snatching and destruction, vote-buying and selling were also reported.
Meanwhile, 16 INEC ad-hoc staff were attacked and electoral materials, including ballot boxes, were destroyed at Odoakpu Ward 7, Onitsha South Local Government Area of Anambra State as 19 electoral officers were abducted and later rescued in Imo State. The 20 lives were lost in Rivers, Akwa Ibom, Delta, Benue, Niger, Osun, just as many people sustained gunshot wounds.
5 feared dead, 1 injured, house razed in Delta
In Delta, five persons reportedly lost their lives at Mosogar and Oghara, in Ethiope West Local Government Area during the polls.
Reports said four persons were shot dead at Mosogar and one at Oghara. Suspected political thugs torched the residence of former Chairman of Ethiope West LGA, Dr. Wilson Omene, an All Progressives Congress, APC, leader in the state.
At Evwreni, Ughelli North LGA, thugs went on the rampage, attacked INEC officials, and destroyed about three BVAS machines and electoral materials.
Some electoral officers sustained injuries, and the incident disrupted voting in polling units in the area.
The rampaging thugs prevented a team of journalists monitoring the elections from entering the community.
Sources said some security personnel, who were deployed to the community, compromised, and they supervised the disruption process.
In the Mosogar mayhem, sources said the deceased persons died after an exchange of gunfire between security operatives and irate youths.
Some youths also threatened to revenge the death of one Oburuche, just as Omene accused a member of the opposition party of being behind the attack on his house and car.
At Amukpe, near Sapele, a youth allegedly lost his hand during a clash in one of the polling units in the area
Five killed in Rivers
In Rivers, five persons were feared killed during the polls.
Two deaths were reported in Bori, Khana LGArea, while three persons were claimed in Ogbakiri Community, Emohua LGA.
This happened as empty polling units, ballot boxes snatching, fake result sheets, non-availability of BVAS password, harassment of voters and other irregularities were recorded in parts of the state.
Three persons were feared killed in Ogbakiri Community, Emohua LGA while unidentified gunmen invaded Elibrada Community in the same LGA shooting sporadically.
Six feared dead in Gboko, Benue
In Benue, no fewer than six persons were killed at different locations within Gboko LGA during the elections although the Local Government Council Chairman, Isaac Mtom, said he received report of an incident that claimed the life of an individual in Gboko South.
It was gathered that security personnel allegedly shot dead a suspected ballot box snatcher while several others sustained injuries when they attempted to snatch ballot boxes during voting in Gboko South
The source disclosed that one of the ballot box snatchers was killed in Abagu, a community in Gboko and another two were shot at different polling units at NKST Primary School Gboko South while the others were killed in Hausa quarters area of the town.
He said: “The information we got is that the six persons were killed when they disrupted voting and attempted to snatch ballot boxes at the different locations in Gboko.”
Contacted, the Gboko LGA Chairman, Mtom said: “I have report of one incident in Gboko South and I am yet to confirm that the person is dead.”
Reacting, the State Police Public Relations Officer, Superintendent, SP, Catherine Anene, said she was yet to receive details of the incidents.
One feared killed in Lagos
One person was feared dead in the clashes between thugs and voters in Ago, Okota area of Lagos.
In some polling units visited in Jakande Estate,Oke-Afa Isolo area of Lagos, there were complaints of harassment and intimidation of voters by some political thugs.
These units included: Low Cost Primary and Secondary Schools, Water Corporation, NEPA Junction and those in the Bungalow Section of the estate.
Voters were chased away. Some of them alleged that thugs beat them up and deprived them of voting for candidates of their choice.
While these were going bottles, causing voters to scamper.
Policeman, one other shot in Ondo amid voting-buying in dollars
In Ondo, violence, low turnout of voters, and vote-buying marred the polls.
In many council areas, despite the prompt arrival of polling officers and adequate security provided, the electorate failed to show up to vote.
INEC officials arrived polling units at 8:00am but voting did not commence until around 9:00am in many units.
Electoral officials waited for hours before voters started coming for accreditation.
As at 10am, polling units were scanty and INEC officials stayed idle at polling units.
Candidates had to employ the services of town criers to go round and appeal to the residents to come out and vote.
Aside some places where the BVAS malfunctioned, it worked perfectly across the state, according to reports.
Loyalists of party candidates were seen handing over dollar notes to voters in many voting centres visited.
A policeman and a resident of Idanre, were reportedly hit by stray bullets during the elections.
Reports had it that the two victims were rushed to the general hospital in the town and were receiving treatment.
The cause of the shooting could not be ascertained as of the time of filing this report.
There were also reported cases of snatching of ballot boxes in the area.
The state police spokesperson, Funmi Odunlami, said that “some thugs reportedly hijacked and destroyed ballot boxes and other voting materials during the elections in 10 of the 12 units in ward 12 at Ute in Ose Local Government area of Ondo State.”
One killed by security operatives in Niger
A middle aged man was shot and he died instantly as the deceased and others engaged security agents in a scuffle.
They were throwing missiles at security agents at a polling unit in Sauka-kahuta area of Minna, Niger State capital.
It could not be immediately confirmed what ensued between the youths and the security personnel, including police and operatives of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, who manned the polling unit.
The corpse of the deceased was hurriedly ferried away by his colleagues.
Operatives of the EFCC also arrested an agent of one of the political parties for alleged vote-buying at Sabongari area of Minna.
The agent was said to have been caught while disbursing money to some voters at the polling unit and whisked away.
Meanwhile, Gbadagbadzu Polling Unit in Busu town, Lavun LGA was invaded by thugs, who went straight to the tables where ballot boxes were placed and scattered the votes already cast.
Three people waiting anxiously for the counting of the votes already cast were injured by the thugs while presiding officers fled for safety.
Contacted, spokesman for the state Police Command, DSP Wasiu Abiodun, promised to get back to Sunday Vanguard but was yet to do at press time.
One shot as hoodlums raid polling units in Osun
In Osun, one person was shot at a polling unit in Ward 4 in Ila-Orangun, Ila LGA during an argument on over-voting in the House of Assembly election that was marred by voter apathy.
While APC members were protesting over-voting recorded in Unit 3, some hoodlums shot at them, thereby disrupting the process.
INEC officers and security operatives arrived early, paving way for early commencement of voting.
While voting was ongoing smoothly across polling units in the state, hoodlums in an unregistered Toyota Sienna vehicle invaded polling units 10 and 11 of Ataoja ward 5 in Osogbo LGA and disrupted the process.
The hoodlums left in a hurry without taking ballot boxes, only to return later after voting had resumed at the two units and eventually dispersed voters by shooting sporadically into the air before carting away the ballot boxes at units 10 and 11, as well as ward 4, units 17 and 32.
Similarly in Ife-Central LGA, hoodlums invaded Iremo Ojatuntun ward 3 unit18 and destroyed both the used and unused ballot papers and boxes.
Thugs attack polling units injure, 16 INEC officials in Anambra
In Anambra State, more than 16 INEC ad-hoc staff were attacked and electoral materials, including ballot boxes, destroyed at Odoakpu Ward 7 in Onitsha South LGA during the House of Assembly election held in the state.
Five INEC adhoc staff were seriously wounded while 11 sustained minor injuries during the attack by the hoodlums who were moving from one polling unit to the other in Ward 7 and other wards in Onitsha South LGA.
The hoodlums carted away some ballot boxes, and destroyed them and scattered other voting materials being used for the election.
Some of the voting units invaded were at Nnewi Street, Margret Street and Metu Memorial Secondary School.
Thugs in military uniform hijack materials in Ebonyi
In Ebonyi State, thugs in their numbers stormed Oshiegbe and Umuezeokoha Wards in Ezza North LGA and hijacked electoral materials meant for the elections.
Ezza North LGA is the stronghold of the APGA governorship candidate, Prof Benard Odoh.
Voters also protested alleged burning of electoral materials such as BVAS machine and other sensitive materials in Omege Ward, Ezza North LGA.
Nwafor Benjamin, an APGA Ward Agent for the ward, described the situation as unfortunate, stressing that the development had deprived the people of the area their right to vote.
Confirming the incident, the Police Public Relations Officer, PPRO, Ebonyi State Police Command, SP Onome Onovwakpoyeya, said electoral materials were being resent to the affected polling unit as election will still be conducted there.
Contacted, Ebonyi Resident Electoral Commissioner, REC, Onyeka Ugochi, said she had received similar reports and that the Commission was working towards the conducted of election in the affected areas.
Alleged vote-buyers injure EFCC staff in Kaduna
Operatives of the EFCC on election monitoring duty in Kaduna State, yesterday, came under attack at School Road, Unguwan Rimi Kaduna while attempting to arrest a suspected vote-buyer.
Wilson Uwujaren, Head, Media and Publicity of the EFCC, in a statement, explained that the team, working on intelligence on the alleged activities of one Kabiru Musa, who was seen in an amateur video allegedly inducing eligible voters by using his phone to transfer money into their accounts as they cast their votes, had mobilized to the scene to arrest the suspect.
However, immediately he was accosted by the operatives, Musa became unruly and screamed to attract the attention of his syndicate members, who descended on the operatives, using all manner of weapons that left some of them injured. It took great restraints for the operatives to ignore the unprovoked attack but insisted on arresting the suspect.
As the team drove away with the suspect, their vehicle was pelted with stones and other dangerous objects that damaged the windshield and three operatives suffered varying degrees of injuries in the process.
The injured operatives were said to be receiving medical attention at the Medical Centre of the Kaduna Zonal Command, while the suspect was taken custody, pending conclusion of the investigation.
Tight security, low voters turnout in Edo
In Edo there was massive voter apathy as people voted amid very tight security in every major road especially in Benin-City, the state capital.
Many security operatives from the police, army and the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) were civil except a squad led by the second in command of Mopol who identified himself simply as CSP Isah but was with men without name tags and prevented journalists from carrying out their duties and threatened to arrest them including a Vanguard reporter for driving in a convoy.
Despite the journalists showing the officer their INEC accreditation tags, he insisted they were on illegal duty since they did not have pass and police escort. When informed, the Police Public Relations Officer, Chidi Nwabuzor, simply said “noted.”
A’Ibom PDP, YPP in fresh controversy over killing of two
The PDP and Young Progressives Party, YPP, in Akwa Ibom State were enmeshed in controversy over the death of two suspected thugs killed during the polls in the state.
The governorship candidate of the YPP, Senator Bassey Akpan, accused the police attached to Akwa Ibom State Government House, Uyo of killing the duo and his supporters who hailed from his Ibiono Ibom LGA.
Akpan, popularly called OBA, who made the allegation in his polling unit at Ididep Usuk community while responding to questions from reporters shortly after he voted, noted that the polls were peaceful in his areas except for the sad incident.
But reacting, the state Commissioner for Information & Strategy, Mr. Ini Ememobong, who spoke with newsmen at the end of the voting exercise in his village, Use Ndon in the same Ibiono Ibom LGA, noted that they intended to collate all the infractions recorded during the elections, and ensure that the accuser(s) had their day in court.
Vanguard Report
https://www.vanguardngr.com/2023/03/20-killed-as-violence-apathy-glitches-mar-guber-assembly-polls/
