Gunmen attack forces INEC to suspend voters’ registration

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) said it has suspended voters registration at the ward level in Igboeze North Local Government Area, Enugu State.

According to a statement issued Friday, INEC said the suspension followed attack by gunmen on its officials handling the continuous voter registration (CVR) exercise at a primary school in Umuozzi, Igboeze North LGA, on Wednesday.

“At about 2.30pm on Wednesday 13^th July 2022, unknown gunmen attacked officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) involved in the Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) at Community Primary School, Umuopu, in Umuozzi Ward 19 of the Igboeze North Local Government Area (LGA) in Enugu State,” the statement disclosed.

According to the Commission’s Administrative Secretary, Jude Okwuonu, the gunmen fired sporadically into the air to disperse registrants and registration officials.

READ: Gunmen shot dead INEC staff in Imo

“In the ensuing stampede, one staff of the Commission sustained injuries and was taken to the hospital for treatment. Two voter registration machines and personal items of staff such as mobile phones were lost,” Okwuonu said in the statement.

The latest attack is coming on the heels of an earlier attack by unknown arsonists, who set the Commission’s office ablaze at 11.48pm on July 4 in the same Igboeze North LGA. The arsonists were reported to have overpowered the security guards, forced their way into the premises before setting the building there ablaze.

The Commission lost 784 ballot boxes, 240 voting cubicles, office furniture and equipment in the process. 

It will be recalled that on May 23, 2021, the Commission’s office at Igboeze South LGA was attacked in a similar manner by unknown gunmen.

This followed earlier attacks on Udenu LGA office on May 13, 2021 and the State Headquarters in Enugu on May 16 2021.