ADVERTISEMENT
  • The Membership Club
  • #EndSARS Dashboard
  • PT Hausa
  • About Us
  • Advert Rates
  • Careers
  • Contact Us
Friday, May 27, 2022
Premium Times Nigeria
  • Home
  • Gender
  • News
    • Headline Stories
    • Top News
    • More News
    • Foreign
  • Investigations
  • Business
    • News Reports
    • Financial Inclusion
    • Analysis and Data
    • Business Specials
    • Opinion
    • Oil/Gas Reports
      • FAAC Reports
      • Revenue
  • Opinion
  • Health
    • COVID-19
    • News Reports
    • Special Reports and Investigations
    • Data and Infographics
    • Health Specials
    • Features and Interviews
    • Multimedia
    • Events
    • Primary Health Tracker
  • Agriculture
    • News Report
    • Special Reports/Investigations
    • Data and Infographics
    • Features and Interviews
    • Multimedia
  • Arts/Life
    • Arts/Books
    • Kannywood
    • Lifestyle
    • Music
    • Nollywood
    • Travel
  • Sports
    • Football
    • More Sports News
    • Sports Features
  • Projects
    • #EndSARS Dashboard
    • Parliament Watch
    • Panama Papers
    • Paradise Papers
    • AGAHRIN
  • #PandoraPapers
  • AUN-PT Data Hub
  • Home
  • Gender
  • News
    • Headline Stories
    • Top News
    • More News
    • Foreign
  • Investigations
  • Business
    • News Reports
    • Financial Inclusion
    • Analysis and Data
    • Business Specials
    • Opinion
    • Oil/Gas Reports
      • FAAC Reports
      • Revenue
  • Opinion
  • Health
    • COVID-19
    • News Reports
    • Special Reports and Investigations
    • Data and Infographics
    • Health Specials
    • Features and Interviews
    • Multimedia
    • Events
    • Primary Health Tracker
  • Agriculture
    • News Report
    • Special Reports/Investigations
    • Data and Infographics
    • Features and Interviews
    • Multimedia
  • Arts/Life
    • Arts/Books
    • Kannywood
    • Lifestyle
    • Music
    • Nollywood
    • Travel
  • Sports
    • Football
    • More Sports News
    • Sports Features
  • Projects
    • #EndSARS Dashboard
    • Parliament Watch
    • Panama Papers
    • Paradise Papers
    • AGAHRIN
  • #PandoraPapers
  • AUN-PT Data Hub
Premium Times Nigeria
BUA Group Ad BUA Group Ad BUA Group Ad
ADVERTISEMENT
Picture of underage voters taken by Premium Times Reporter which resulted in his abduction.

Picture of underage voters taken by Premium Times reporter which resulted in his abduction.

Premium Times Reporter abducted at governor’s polling unit over underage voting

byAzeezat AdedigbaandNike Adebowale
March 9, 2019
2 min read

A PREMIUM TIMES journalist, Kunle Sanni, was on Saturday morning abducted by political thugs for taking pictures of underage voters at a polling unit in Plateau State.

Mr Sanni, who was monitoring the elections in the area, was accosted by an agent of the ruling All Progressives Congress who had spotted him while photographing several young children as they lined up on the queue to vote.

The journalist took photographs of the children and their voter cards before APC agents at the centre instructed thugs loyal to the governing party to surround the polling unit and bar the reporter from exiting.

The stalemate lasted hours as this newspaper worked its contacts in the area to try to ensure Mr Sanni’s safety.

Eventually, after the journalist emerged, he unknowingly walked into an ambush and was promptly forced into a taxi and driven to an unknown destination where his abductors forced him to delete the images.

Mr Sanni said the incident occurred at the polling unit of Governor Simon Lalong, Polling Unit 15, Ward 04 of Shendam local government area of the state.

“After observing and taking pictures at the government polling unit, I was on my way out when some APC party agents ambushed me and forced me into the car and drove off, the journalist said.

“The men collected my phone which was dead at the time, parked in a bush and plugged the phone to see who I was sending the pictures. When the men confirmed I had deleted them, they offered me money in return,” he said.

Mr Sanni said their countenance changed when he declined the offer.

“I had to accept it so that they did not harm me because the place was bushy and I could get killed,” he said. Mr Sanni said he was given N20,000.

While recounting how he was taken from the polling unit, Mr Sanni said the whole thing happened in the presence of the chairman, Nigeria Union of Journalist, Plateau State chapter, Paul Jatau, and the police.

“They could not stop them although the NUJ chairman approached me and asked me to delete the pictures,” he said.

Picture of underage voters taken by Premium Times Reporter which resulted in his abduction.
Picture of underage voters taken by Premium Times reporter which resulted in his abduction.

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) had earlier warned underage voters not to go near polling units in Plateau State ahead of Saturday’s governorship and state assembly elections.

The head of department for Voter Education and Publicity, INEC Plateau State, Osarentin Imahinyereobo, said underage voters should stay away from the polling units because the security (team) would arrest them.

The minimum voting age in Nigeria is 18. Underage voting has been a major issue in Nigeria’s political discourse since the return of democratic government in 1999.

Picture of underage voters taken by Premium Times reporter which resulted in his abduction.
Picture of underage voters taken by Premium Times reporter which resulted in his abduction.

While underage voting is prominent in some regions of the country, it is hardly noticed in some other parts.

Underage voting has become a national challenge and a threat to Nigeria’s democracy. However, the electoral umpire, INEC, has not done much to curb the problem.

  • WhatsApp
  • Tweet
  • Email
  • Print
  • Telegram
  • More
  • Share on Tumblr
  • Pocket

WATCH: Governor Yahaya Bello's Roadmap to Hope 2023

CITIZEN-FM AD


Support PREMIUM TIMES' journalism of integrity and credibility

Good journalism costs a lot of money. Yet only good journalism can ensure the possibility of a good society, an accountable democracy, and a transparent government.

For continued free access to the best investigative journalism in the country we ask you to consider making a modest support to this noble endeavour.

By contributing to PREMIUM TIMES, you are helping to sustain a journalism of relevance and ensuring it remains free and available to all.

Donate


TEXT AD: Why women cheat: what every Nigerian man should know







PT Mag Campaign AD

Previous Post

Oyo Governorship: Women fight over money at Adelabu’s Polling Unit

Next Post

INEC vows election will proceed in Lagos communities where ad-hoc staffers boycotted exercise

Azeezat Adedigba

Azeezat Adedigba

Azeezat Adedigba covers the education and labour sectors for PREMIUM TIMES. She is also an investigative journalist and the winner of the 2019 Female Reporters Leadership Program (FRLP) organised by Wole Soyinka Centre for Investigative Journalism (WSCIJ). Azeezat is passionate about women and children advocacy. She holds a degree in Mass Communication from the University of Jos. She can be reached on Twitter @Adebimpe57.

Nike Adebowale

Nike Adebowale

Nike Adebowale covers the health beat.  She holds a degree from Ekiti State University, Ado Ekiti. Twitter: @nikeadebowale1 

More News

An APC Flag

Obanikoro’s son loses Lagos APC House of Reps ticket

May 27, 2022
Aishatu Ahmad, popularly known as Binani

2023: Female senator, Binani, beats Ribadu, ex-Governor Bindow, others to emerge as APC candidate in Adamawa

May 27, 2022
Nigerian stocks cross N29 trillion mark amid scramble for Airtel Africa’s shares

Nigerian stocks cross N29 trillion mark amid scramble for Airtel Africa’s shares

May 27, 2022
Senator Rochas Okorocha

Court refuses to grant Okorocha bail

May 27, 2022
Uba Sani

2023: How I’ll build on El-Rufa’i’s legacy – Uba Sani

May 27, 2022
President Muhammadu Buhari

Children’s Day: Despite prolonged universities’ closure, Buhari says education is priority

May 27, 2022
Next Post
A cross-section of the NYSC Batch B Corp members during their closing ceremony at Wailo NYSC Permanent Orientation Camp in Bauchi on Monday (13/8/18). 04366/14/8/2018/Deji Yake/JMH/HB/NAN

INEC vows election will proceed in Lagos communities where ad-hoc staffers boycotted exercise

The Ekiti Governor, Kayode Fayemi. [PHOTO CREDIT: Official twitter handle of Kayode Fayemi.]

Elections: Fayemi advocates electronic voting in future elections

Read All Comment

Search

AUN-PT Ad





Transport-Technology


Stanbic Ad


Access Bank Ad





Glo Ad


Subscribe to News via Email

Enter your email address and receive notifications of news by email.

Join 1,850,450 other subscribers.

Advertisement






netherland biz school Advert



Zenith Advert

ADVERTISEMENT

Our Digital Network

  • PT Hausa
  • Election Centre
  • Human Trafficking Investigation
  • Centre for Investigative Journalism
  • National Conference
  • Press Attack Tracker
  • PT Academy
  • Dubawa
  • LeaksNG
  • Campus Reporter

Resources

  • Oil & Gas Facts
  • List of Universities in Nigeria
  • LIST: Federal Unity Colleges in Nigeria
  • NYSC Orientation Camps in Nigeria
  • Nigeria’s Federal/States’ Budgets since 2005
  • Malabu Scandal Thread
  • World Cup 2018
  • Panama Papers Game
  • Our Digital Network
  • About Us
  • Resources
  • Projects
  • Data & Infographics
  • DONATE

All content is Copyrighted © 2020 The Premium Times, Nigeria

No Result
View All Result
  • #PandoraPapers
  • Gender
  • News
    • Headline Stories
    • Top News
    • More News
    • Foreign
  • Investigations
  • Business
    • News Reports
    • Financial Inclusion
    • Analysis and Data
    • Business Specials
    • Opinion
    • Oil/Gas Reports
      • FAAC Reports
      • Revenue
  • Health
    • COVID-19
    • News Reports
    • Investigations
    • Data and Infographics
    • Health Specials
    • Features
    • Events
    • Primary Health Tracker
  • Agriculture
    • News Report
    • Research & Innovation
    • Data & Infographics
    • Special Reports/Investigations
    • Investigations
    • Interviews
    • Multimedia
  • Arts/Life
    • Arts/Books
    • Kannywood
    • Lifestyle
    • Music
    • Nollywood
    • Travel
  • Sports
    • Football
    • More Sports News
    • Sports Features
  • #EndSARS Dashboard
  • Projects
    • Panama Papers
    • Paradise Papers
    • Parliament Watch
    • AGAHRIN
  • AUN-PT Data Hub
  • Opinion
  • The Membership Club
  • Dubawa
  • DONATE

All content is Copyrighted © 2020 The Premium Times, Nigeria

Our website uses cookies. By continuing to use this website you are giving consent to cookies being used. Visit our Privacy and Cookie Policy.
loading Cancel
Post was not sent - check your email addresses!
Email check failed, please try again
Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email.