Police arrests security guard over Ebonyi INEC office attack

Police operatives have arrested a security guard over last Sunday’s attack on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) office in Ebonyi State.

Gunmen had last Sunday attacked the INEC office in Izzu local government area of the state and destroyed 340 ballot boxes and an unspecified number of Permanent Voters Cards (PVC) among others.

The spokesman for the state police command, Chris Anyanwu, who confirmed the development in a statement on Wednesday in Abakaliki, said the suspect is a staff of the commission.

He said the suspect was in possession of the keys to the building at the time of the incident.

Anyanwu said: “Witnesses including police personnel were invited to make statements.

READ ALSO: Gunmen set INEC office ablaze, destroy 340 ballot boxes, others in Ebonyi

“The fire incident was reported to the mobile policemen on duty by one Nwebe Emmanuel, a retired security staff of INEC who was on his farm at the time of the incident.

“The mobile policemen in turn alerted the Divisional Police Officer at Izzi who then reported the situation to the Commissioner of Police.

“The assessment conducted indicated that the fire emanated from inside the INEC office building.

“There was no perceived external attack on the property; the two civilian security staff posted to the premises were not on their duty post.

“Investigation confirmed that there was no electric power supply that would have triggered the fire, and the building had no fire-fighting tools.”

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