An office of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in Enugu South Local Government Area has been attacked by gunmen.
A police officer was killed in the attack while a section of the property was set on fire.
According to the National Commissioner and Chairman Information and Voter Education Committee of INEC, Festus Okoye, the Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) for Enugu State, Dr. Chukwuemeka J. Chukwu, reported the incident to the headquarters of the commission.
“The incident occurred around 9.12pm yesterday, Sunday 15th January 2023. The security gatehouse was razed. Of the two Policemen deployed to protect the facility, one of them lost his life while the other sustained injuries and is receiving treatment.”
“The commission prays for the repose of the soul of the deceased policeman and the speedy recovery of the injured. The attack is being investigated by the security agencies,” Okoye said.
He added that fortunately, the attackers could not gain access to the main building as a result of the rapid response from the Police and Army personnel from 82 Division.
He also said that the State Commissioner of Police and the REC were personally at the scene immediately they received information about the attack.
He said, “Furthermore, a meeting of the Inter-Agency Consultative Committee on Election Security (ICCES) in Enugu State co-chaired by the REC and the Commissioner of Police has been convened to discuss the latest incident and design additional strategies of fortifying the offices and protecting the personnel and materials.”
Okoye said the destroyed gatehouse will be rebuilt, and that the commission is proceeding with its preparations for the 2023 General Election in Enugu State and the entire country as scheduled.
INEC has faced multiple attacks in the buildup to the 2023 elections.
Last week, the commission warned that the general election faces serious threat of cancellation if insecurity is not properly tackled.
INEC Chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, represented by the Chairman Board of Electoral Institute (BEI), Prof. Abdullahi Abdu Zuru, gave the warning at the Validation of Election Security Training Resources in Abuja.
However, the commission later gave assurances that the situation was under control.
The outlawed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) orchestrating violence in the South East has been blamed for the attacks in that region, but the group has denied this.
