Gunmen Attack INEC Officials, Cart Away PVCs in Osun Ahead of August 15 Poll

Armed hoodlums attack officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in Odo-Otin Local Government Area of Osun State and cart away three packs of Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs), police say, in the latest incident of violence ahead of the August 15 governorship election.

The attack occurs on Sunday at Oyinlola DC Primary School, Ward 2, Okuku, where INEC officials are peacefully distributing PVCs to registered voters. According to a statement issued in Osogbo by the spokesperson for the Osun State Police Command, DSP Abiodun Ojelabi, about ten armed thugs storm the centre and fire sporadically into the air, scaring officials and residents away, before making off with the PVC packs. A resident of Okuku who identifies himself only as Gbadebo says the attackers arrived unnoticed and headed straight for the cards kept beside the INEC officials’ seats.

The Commissioner of Police in Osun State, Ibrahim Gotan, condemns the incident and directs a comprehensive investigation into the matter. Ojelabi says tactical and intelligence assets have been deployed to identify the perpetrators and recover the stolen materials. He appeals to residents and eyewitnesses with useful information to report to the nearest police station, and warns that anyone exploiting the incident to disrupt public order will face the full weight of the law.

The Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) for Osun State, Oluwatoyin Babalola, confirms the attack and says the commission is still awaiting a full report on the number of cards taken. She reaffirms INEC’s commitment to conducting a free, fair, credible and transparent election in the state.

The Speaker of the Osun State House of Assembly, Adewale Egbedun, describes the incident as a serious attack on Nigeria’s democracy and calls for a thorough and impartial investigation. In a statement issued through his Chief Press Secretary, Olamide Tiamiyu, the Speaker warns that any attempt to intimidate voters or compromise electoral materials will not be tolerated. The hoodlums are alleged by some residents to be affiliated with the All Progressives Congress (APC); efforts to reach the APC for comment on the allegation were unsuccessful as of press time.

The incident follows weeks of tension in the build-up to the Osun poll, with the Accord Party separately accusing police of politically motivated arrests of its members during the PVC distribution exercise. INEC had begun the PVC distribution exercise on July 22, running through August 7 across the state’s 332 registration areas, and disclosed on Sunday that 37.5 per cent of distributed cards, representing 192,702 PVCs, have so far been collected.

Investigations into the Odo-Otin attack are ongoing, and police say updates will follow as the perpetrators are identified.