Weeks to general election, another INEC office attacked, policeman killed

Nigeria’s electoral commission, INEC, has reported another attack on one of its facilities in Enugu South Local Government Area, Enugu State.

The commission said one of the policemen deployed to the location was also killed and another injured.

The attackers, who could not gain entry to the main building, razed the security gate house around 9 p.m last night (Sunday), said INEC National Commissioner and Chairman Information and Voter Education, Festus Okoye.

He said, in a statement, that the Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) for Enugu State, Chukuwuemeka Chukwu reported that the attackers could not get entry into the main building as a result of the rapid response from the police and army personnel from 82 Division.

“Of the two policemen deployed to protect the facility, one of them lost his life while the other sustained injuries and is receiving treatment,” he said. “The commission prays for the repose of the soul of the deceased policeman and the speedy recovery of the injured.”

He said a meeting of the Inter-Agency Consultative Committee on Election Security (ICCES) in Enugu State co-chaired by the REC and the commissioner of police in the state has been convened to discuss the latest incident and design additional strategies for fortifying the offices and protecting the personnel and materials.

Attacks on INEC offices

Although INEC facilities have been targets of attacks across the country in the past few years, attacks in the South East and South-south accounts for over 70 per cent of the total attacks.

The commission’s analysis of the incidents showed that between 2019 and 2022, it recorded 26 attacks in the South-east (Abia, Anambra, Ebonyi, Enugu, and Imo), ten in the South-south (Akwa Ibom, Bayelsa, and Cross River).

INEC also revealed that it recorded ten attacks in the South-west (Ogun, Lagos and Ondo), three attacks in the North-east (Taraba and Borno), one in the North-west (Kaduna), within the period.

According to the commission, 20 of the total of 50 incidents were by unknown gunmen and hoodlums, 18 during the EndSARS protest, six by political thugs during elections, four as a result of post-election violence and one each as a result of a bandit and Boko Haram attacks.