The office of the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, in Isu Local Government Area of Imo state has been attacked by suspected thugs.
Festus Okoye, INEC National Commissioner and Chairman, Information and Voter Education Committee, who confirmed the incident in a statement in Abuja on Wednesday, December 21, 2022, said that the attack was the fourth in the state.
“The Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) for Imo State, Professor Sylvia Uchenna Agu, has reported that our office in Isu Local Government Area office was attacked and vandalised. The incident occurred at the early hours of Tuesday, 20th December 2022,” the statement read.
“Eight windows were smashed, and burglary proofs removed. Fortunately, the attackers could not access the building. Movable and immovable equipment as well as other materials were not removed or vandalised.
“However, as a precautionary measure, critical materials such as ballot boxes and voting cubicles have been evacuated to another INEC facility for safe keeping.
“Similarly, all uncollected PVCs have been secured, while security will be deployed to ensure the continuous collection of the cards by registered voters in the same premises,” he said.
Mr Okoye said that the incident had been reported to the police and other security agencies for necessary action.
“This is the fourth attack on INEC facilities in Imo State in less than three weeks following previous attacks on Orlu and Oru West Local Government Areas and the State Headquarters in Owerri.” he added.