2023: Hoodlums torch INEC office in Ogun
Some suspected hoodlums have set the office of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) at Iyana Mortuary, Abeokuta, the Ogun state capital on fire, New Telegraph reports.
Telescope.ng gathered that the hoodlums, around midnight on Wednesday, scaled the perimeter fence, jumped into the premises and set the INEC building on fire from the back.
The hoodlums, it was learnt soaked loaves of bread with petrol and threw same into the building at different angles to torch the INEC office.
It was further gathered that, the security guard at the facility, Azeez Hamzat, had made a distress call to the police around 1 am, saying the facility was on fire.
Responding to the distress call, police operatives from Ibara Division mobilised detectives to the scene, while contacting fire fighters, who raced to the scene to put out the fire.
It was learnt that the store, the Registration Area Officer’s office and the conference room were affected by the inferno.
A source also told New Telegraph that non-sensitive materials were also affected by the fire.
The said the source: “No life was lost and no injury was sustained in the fire.”
Confirming the incident, the Ogun INEC Resident Electoral Commissioner, Niyi Ijalaye, described it as shocking.
Ijalaye said: “It is correct that our office was set on fire. The police are investigating. I do not know what to say. I’m in shock myself. We called the police and other security agencies at night. The fire brigade put the situation under control. The level of damage is still being assessed.
“It is very shocking and untoward. The security agencies are doing their very best. We are meeting again later today to come up with other strategies (toward securing our facilities).”
The Ogun state police public relations officer, Abimbola Oyeyemi, could not be reached for comments as of the time of filing this report.
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