…. Lost 1,105 Ballot boxes, 694 cubicles, 429 generators to attacks – Chairman
The Independent National Electoral Commission is counting losses after at least 41 various attacks in the last two years.
Of recent, attacks on facilities belonging to the commissions have surged, creating anxieties over the future elections.
Chairman of INEC, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu has on Thursday took this to an emergency meeting on election security with heads of security agencies in Abuja.
The meeting is initiated to solve the incessant attacks on INEC facilities across the country.
Recounting the losses, INEC said it has suffered no fewer than 41 violent attacks in the last two years.
According to him, INEC will be creating 2,674 centres for the Continuous Voter Registration CVR, an exercise that will require 5,346 officials and greater security.
He said; “We plan to create 2,673 registration centres and deploy 5,346 officials for the exercise along with expensive voter enrollment machines. All these activities require security, thereby adding to the urgency and importance of this meeting.
“No doubt, the last few weeks have been very challenging to the Commission. The spate of arson and vandalism targeting the Commission’s facilities and property has become a major threat to our scheduled activities and the entire electoral process.
“In the last two years, the Commission has recorded a total of 41 incidents involving deliberate attacks on the Commission’s facilities. Nine of these incidents happened in 2019 and 21 cases in 2020.
“In the last four weeks, 11 offices of the Commission were either set ablaze or vandalized. Two of these incidents were caused by Boko Haram and bandit attacks while 10 resulted from thuggery during election and post-election violence. However, the majority of the attacks (29 out of 41) were unrelated to election or electoral activities. In fact, 18 of them occurred during the EndSARS protests in October last year while 11 attacks were organised by “unknown gunmen” and ‘hoodlums’.
“Although the Commission is assessing loss of materials during recent attacks, our preliminary assessment so far indicates that we lost 1,105 ballot boxes, 694 voting cubicles, 429 electric generating sets, and 13 utility vehicles (Toyota Hilux). By working together with the security agencies, we can stop these attacks and the wanton destruction of critical electoral assets.”
He explained that the attacks, which initially appeared as isolated and occasional actions, have now become more frequent and systematic, targeted at demobilising and dismantling critical electoral infrastructure in the country.
“This will not only undermine the Commission’s capacity to organise elections and other electoral activities but will also damage the nation’s electoral process and democracy. Indeed, these attacks on the Commission’s facilities should now be treated as a national security emergency.
“Under the auspices of ICCES, we should ramp up our activities to curtail these unjustifiable acts of aggression. This will entail not only drawing on our separate and collective resources within ICCES, but also increased collaboration with citizens, communities, and all stakeholders”, he stated.
In attendance at the meeting was the National Security Adviser Babagana Mongunu, the Director-General National Intelligence Agency Ahmed Abubakar, the Acting Chairman of Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Abdulrasheed Bawa, the acting Inspector General of the Police Alkali Usman.
Also in attendance were the representatives of the Chief of Defense Staff, as well as heads of the paramilitaries.
The NSA is the co-chair of the INEC inter-agencies elections security Committee.
The INEC Chairman outlines activities ahead of the Commission which includes the November 6th Anambra state governorship election and the continuous voters’ registration.
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