340 Ballot Boxes Destroyed In Burnt INEC Office In Ebonyi

Over 340 ballot boxes were among critical items destroyed as unidentified persons set ablaze at the office of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in the Izzi Local Government Area office located at Iboko, Ebonyi state.

The INEC National Commissioner and Chairman, Information and Voter Education Committee, Festus Okoye, revealed this in a statement Sunday.

Announcing fire the incident, Okoye said: “The Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) for Ebonyi State, Mrs Onyeka Pauline Ugochi, reported that our Izzi Local Government Area office located in Iboko, was set ablaze this morning.”

According to him, “The incident occurred around 10.00 am when some unidentified persons set the entire building ablaze.

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“Although no casualties resulted from the attack, the main building and all the movable and immovable items inside it were destroyed. These include 340 ballot boxes, 130 voting cubicles, 14 electric power generators, large water storage tanks, assorted office furniture and fixtures and yet to be determined quantities of Permanent Voters’ Cards (PVCs),” Okoye said.

He further disclosed that the Commission had reported the incident to the Nigerian police and other security agencies. He revealed that they have also commenced investigation.

“Sadly, this is the third attack on our Local Government office in less than three weeks following similar attacks on our offices in Ogun and Osun States on 10th November 2022,” Okoye concludes.