INEC head office in Imo attacked by unknown gunmen

•Attacks is third in two weeks

By Lateef Ibrahim, Abuja

The State headquarters of the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, in Owerri, Imo State has been attacked by unknown gunmen.

The incident occurred at about 3.00am yesterday (Monday 12th December 2022).

Yesterday’s attack is the third on the Commission’s facilities in Imo State in less than two weeks following the earlier attacks on our Orlu LGA office on Thursday 1st December 2022 and Oru West LGA office on Sunday 4th December 2022.

The Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) for Imo State, Professor Sylvia Uchenna Agu, has already reported the attack on the  INEC’s State Headquarters office in Owerri to its headquarters in Abuja.

This was confirmed in a statement yesterday by its National Commissioner and Chairman, Information and Voter Education Committee of INEC, Barrister Festus Okoye

The attack, according to Okoye,  affected the part of the building occupied by the Election and Party Monitoring (EPM) Department and one official utility vehicle (a Toyota Hilux pickup van) was burnt.

The response of the security and emergency services (the Fire Service), the statement explained, curtailed further damage to the building and other assets of the Commission.

The statement  however showed that no critical election materials were destroyed and there were also no casualties involving staff of the Commission.

The statement by Okoye reads, “The Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) for Imo State, Professor Sylvia Uchenna Agu, has reported that our State Headquarters office in Owerri was attacked by unknown gunmen.

“The incident occurred at about 3.00am today Monday 12th December 2022.

“The attack affected the part of the building occupied by the Election and Party Monitoring (EPM) Department and one official utility vehicle (a Toyota Hilux pickup van) was burnt.

“The response of the security and emergency services (the Fire Service) curtailed further damage to the building and other assets of the Commission.

“No critical election materials were destroyed. There were also no casualties involving staff of the Commission.

“This is third attack on the Commission’s facilities in Imo State in less than two weeks following the earlier attacks on our Orlu LGA office on Thursday 1st December 2022 and Oru West LGA office on Sunday 4th December 2022.

“Our Imo State Headquarters is located in the centre of the Owerri, the State capital, between a court and the State secretariat.

“This is therefore yet another systematic attack targeted at the Commission’s assets across the country, more so on the day that the collection of Permanent Voters’ Cards (PVCs) commences nationwide ahead of the 2023 General Election”, it said.