Admin l Saturday, February 25, 2023
LAGOS, Nigeria – Officials of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC have been attacked by heavily armed men suspected to be engaged in vote buying in Imo State and Abuja.
Speaking on the incident, the commission said a team of EFCC operatives on election monitoring duty at Unit 001, Mann Primary School behind Cherubim junction, Imo State were shot at by unknown persons in two black Prado SUV’s and one white Hilux outside the polling unit by people suspected to be buying votes.
“The EFCC team responded, forcing them to flee the scene. The incident was formally reported to DCP Operations, Haruna Femi at the Imo State Police Command”, he said.
It added that the team was equally attacked by political thugs near Chief’s palace in Bwari Area council of the Federal Capital Territory.
“The attack followed the arrest of a man for allegedly masterminding a well-orchestrated vote buying procedure at the polling unit situated at Science Primary School, Bwari. The team had arrested the suspect, said to be about 30 years old, and retrieved from him a list of beneficiaries he had already paid some money to, through an online banking app”, the EFCC said.
“It was at the point of moving the suspect away from the polling unit that the thugs attacked, smashing the windshield of the Commission’s patrol van.
“They only retreated into their hideouts after the Commission’s operative responded by releasing warning shots, before members of the Joint Task Force team comprising the Department of State Services, the Nigeria Police and others, Arrived the scene”, the EFCC said, adding that the incident was immediately reported at the Bwari Police Station.
