Some armed men have carted away PVCs and BVAS after they attacked officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in the Odo-Otin LGA of Osun state.
Spokesperson of the state police command, Abiodun Ojelabi, stated in a statement that 10 suspected thugs stormed Oyinlola DC Primary School, ward 2, in the Odo-Otin LGA, where INEC officials were distributing PVCs.
He stated that the assailants fired several gunshots in the air, forcing electoral officials to flee before escaping with packs of PVCs.
Ojelabi added that Ibrahim Gotan, commissioner of police, condemned the attack and ordered a comprehensive investigation to identify, arrest, and prosecute those responsible.
“Tactical and intelligence assets have been deployed, and efforts have been intensified to apprehend the perpetrators and recover the stolen PVCs,” the statement reads.
Speaking further, Ojelabi said operatives of the Osun state police command have restored normality in Ile-Ife after suspected thugs who gathered around the Mayfair garage area became unruly, temporarily disrupting public peace and order.
He gave assurance to the residents of the command’s commitment to protect lives and property while maintaining law and order across the state.
In his reaction,Addayo Oketola, chief press secretary (CPS) to Joash Amupitan, INEC’s chairman, said initial investigation showed that some Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) devices were stolen during the incident.
“We are still awaiting the outcome of the police investigation. The police are already investigating that matter, so we are waiting for the outcome of the investigation. I think they started a manhunt for those people, and of course, they promised that they would arrest them,” Oketola said.
“We are waiting for the police to get back to us on the matter, and the headquarters is also waiting for the police to revert to us. So, nothing new yet.”
“It is not a lot of BVAS. They only took BVAS devices that were being used at the time of the attack. I don’t have the number. But I do not think it’s a lot.”
“I want you to know that stealing BVAS is not going to affect the election because the BVAS are useless in their hands,” he said.
“The BVAS cannot affect the election in any way, and of course, the commission will replace the stolen BVAS, and every other plan will go ahead.”
