Ben Ezechime, Enugu
The office of the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, in Enugu South Local Government Area of Enugu State has been burnt by unknown persons.
A statement by the INEC National Commissioner for Voter Education and Publicity, Mr Festus Okoye, said the Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) in Enugu State, Dr Chukwuemeka Chukwu, reported the incident to the Commission’s headquarters.
He said the incident occurred in the early hours of Monday
According to the statement, during the attack, the security gatehouse was razed.
He, however, said that the hoodlums could not gain access to the main building before the arrival of the combined rapid response team from the Police and the Army.
“The State Commissioner of Police and the REC were personally at the scene immediately they received information about the attack.
“Of the two policemen deployed to protect the facility, one of them lost his life while the other sustained injuries and is receiving treatment.
“The Commission prays for the repose of the soul of the deceased policeman and the speedy recovery of the injured.”
It said that investigation has commenced to unravel the source of the attack while 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 has been convened.
“To discuss the latest incident and design additional strategies of fortifying the offices and protecting the personnel and materials.
“Meanwhile, the destroyed gatehouse will be rebuilt, and the Commission is proceeding with its preparations for the 2023 General Election in Enugu State and the entire country as scheduled,” Okoye said.
