As the Independent National Electoral Commission on Monday began the display of the names of 63.9million voters it registered for the April general elections, the commission has vowed to prosecute the offenders that were arrested during the 21-day exercise.
Investigation by THE PUNCH revealed that a total of 182 suspects were arrested in 11 states for various offences, including theft and diversion of Direct Data Capture machines, falsification of data and double registration.
Anambra State has the highest number of alleged offenders with 45 arrests, followed by Oyo and Ogun states where 32 and 25 suspects were arrested respectively. The other affected states are Lagos, Osun, Rivers, Kano, Bayelsa, Niger and Kaduna.
Chief Press Secretary to INEC Chairman, Prof. Attahiru Jega, Mr. Kayode Idowu, told one of our correspondents in Abuja on Monday that all the suspects would be prosecuted in accordance with his boss promise to deal decisively with electoral offenders.
Idowu said, “The Commission, like the chairman has always said, is determined to prosecute them. Whether they are our staff or adhoc staff, the law will take its full course.
“Those who were arrested for registration offences are being prosecuted in most states as we speak. They are being taken to court for either diverting materials or being involved in one form of malpractice or the other.”
In Oyo State, eight persons were arrested for allegedly diverting a DDC machine to a private house in the Olomi area of Ibadan, Oyo State capital.
The suspects included one serving and one former member of the National Youth Service Corps.
They were said to have diverted the machine meant for Unit 16, Ward 7 Olorunkemi, Oluyole Local Government Area to a private house where illegal registrations were allegedly carried out.
The suspects were taken to the State Criminal Investigation Department of the state command in Iyaganku for further investigation.
Also, a chieftain of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party in the state, Dr. Laolu Adepoju, was arrested for allegedly forcibly taking some students of a secondary school in the same local government for registration.
Also, the state police command arrested 10 persons in connection with DDC machines discovered in a forest close to a predominantly Fulani settlement in Saki West Local Government Area.
The suspects, including two corps members, were still detained at Saki West Police Station at the time of filing this report.
On the last day of the exercise, five underage boys were arrested at a registration centre around Ring Road in Ibadan, Oyo State capital.
The boys were reportedly brought to the centre from Ogbere Idi Osan in Ona Ara Local Government by some unnamed politicians; after they were promised payment of N500 each upon registration.
But there was no record as at press time that any of those arrested had been prosecuted.
In Ogun State, officials of the Nigerian Immigration Service arrested 32 foreigners at the various voter registration units in the state.
Majority of the foreigners were said to be from the neighbouring Benin Republic and four of them were found with Nigerian’s Nationality Identity Card.
In Lagos State, a council boss was arrested after he was allegedly caught in a house with DDC machines used for voter registration.
According to the police, a chairman of a Council area and three other politicians were quizzed at Oke-Odo Division following reports of attempts to tamper with the machines taken from a centre near Abule-Egba to the house of one of the politicians. The case is still under investigation at Oke-Odo police station.
Also, the Lagos State Command of the Nigeria Immigration Service arrested five foreigners for allegedly attempting to register in the ongoing voter registration exercise.
The five persons, who included three women and two men were interrogated at the NIS office at Alagbon Close, Ikoyi, Lagos. The suspects are citizens of Togo, Niger Republic and Mali.
In Anambra State, Resident Electoral Commissioner, Prof. Chukwuemeka Onukogu, told one of our correspondents that the 45 corps members arrested allegedly falsified records. He said that the corps members had been charged to court.
Story by Niyi Odebode, Tunde Odesola, Segun Olatunji, Mike Emmanuel Obe, Chukwudi Akasike, Olalekan Adetayo, Sunday Aborisade, Francis Falola, Mudiaga Affe, Lekan Lartey, Mike Odiegwu, John Alechenu and Mustapha Salihu.
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