Some hoodlums on Thursday morning set ablaze the office of the Independent National Electoral Commission in Abeokuta, Ogun State.
Witnesses said the INEC office went up in flames at around 1 a.m.
The hoodlums, numbering about eight, reportedly scaled the fence into the INEC compound and set the building on fire.
When our reporter visited the scene at Iyana Mortuary, residents said the hoodlums threw loaves of bread soaked with petrol into the compound before igniting the fire.
The security guard at the facility, Azeez Hamzat, said he made a distress call to the police immediately the fire started.
It was gathered that the store, the Registration Area, one officer’s office, the conference room among others were affected by the fire.
A source in INEC, who refused to give her name as she was not authorised to speak on the matter, told our reporter that non-sensitive materials were also affected by the fire but no life was lost.
When contacted, the state Resident Electoral Commissioner, Niyi Ijalaye, confirmed the incident. The REC described the incident as shocking. “The police are investigating. I do not know what to say. I’m in shock myself. We called the police and other security agencies at night. The fire brigade put the situation under control. The level of damage is still being assessed.”
He further explained that the security agencies are doing their best saying the commission will again meet them later in the day to further strategize over the attack.
When contacted over the phone, Ogun State Police Public Relations Officer, Abimbola Oyeyemi, said he was not aware of the incident and promised to get back once he gets details of it.
He further explained that the security agencies are doing their best saying the commission will again meet them later in the day to further strategize over the attack.
When contacted over the phone, Ogun State Police Public Relations Officer, Abimbola Oyeyemi, said he was not aware of the incident and promised to get back once he gets details of it.
Source: premiumtimesng.com
