Ogun INEC office razed

The office of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in Abeokuta, the capital of Ogun State, was gutted by fire in the wee hours of Thursday.

Hoodlums, believed to be political supporters, are suspected to be behind the arson. A report states that some unknown persons jumped over the fence of the building to set fire to it.

Azeez Hamzat, the security guard at the INEC office, reportedly alerted the Ibara Police Division of the arson around 1am on Thursday.

Affected are the Registration Area Officer’s office and the conference room.

Niyi Ijalaye, the INEC Resident Electoral Commissioner in the state, confirmed the incident.

“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),” he said.