Police Seize N111million from INEC Officials in Rivers

Police detectives probing the re-run elections in Rivers State have allegedly seized N111million from 23 officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

According to DCP Damian Okoro, who chaired the panel constituted to investigate the electoral and other offences perpetrated during the December 10, 2016 Rivers Parliamentary re-run election, three senior electoral officers collected N20 million each out of the N360 million given to them by Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers, while the remaining officers received N15 million each.

Okoro, made the allegation while presenting the team’s report to the Inspector-General of Police, Ibrahim Idris, in Abuja today.

Wike has denied any wrongdoing despite an audio showing he might have compromised some INEC officials financially. The Rivers Governor also accused the police of bias and refused to cooperate or allow state officials cooperate with the police investigation team.

Okoro also alleged that there were some cases of misconduct on the part of some electoral officers, who were compromised in the line of duty.

He said, “By this investigation, this panel has diligently unravelled what went wrong with the re-run election in Rivers, the details of which are contained in the report.

“We discovered that failure of leadership and followership rather than law enforcement was responsible for the political upheaval in the state.”

The election was marred by violence that claimed many lives, including two police officers. Security officials have also been accused of complicity for their roles in the electoral violence.

Okoro added that the task given to the panel was challenging because of the tense political and security atmosphere in the state.

He said lawless elements targeted political opponents of their sponsors, and law enforcement agents, especially the police.

He attributed some of the violent acts to inflammatory statements by some narrow-minded politicians.

“Apart from their utterances, politicians in their desperation for power, also armed thugs who unleashed terror on their opponents,” he said, adding that six police officers, who were indicted, had been tried and dismissed from the force.

Idris, however, said that a report and recommendation would be forwarded to the Attorney-General and Minister of Justice for his advice.

He added that appropriate action would be taken against indicted persons to serve as deterrent.

The Rivers State government has, however, denied the allegations.

In a swift response, the Special Assistant to the Governor on Electronic Media, Simeon Nwakaudu, said the allegation was false and politically motivated.

Nwakaudu issued a statement in Port Harcourt saying that the police allegation was aimed at diverting attention from the real issues about the election.

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