Protesting youths set INEC office ablaze in Benue

The office of the Independent National Electoral Commission in Sankara, the headquarters of Ukum Local Government Area in Benue State was attacked and burnt on Wednesday by protesting youths.

The National Commissioner and Chairman of the Information and Voter Education Committee, Sam Olumekun, confirmed the attack in a statement on Wednesday.

According to the statement, the Resident Electoral Commissioner for the state, Prof. Sam Egwu noted that the attack occurred at 2 pm as youths protested against the activities of bandits in the area.

The protest escalated to include the destruction of several government facilities, including the INEC office.

While no casualties have been reported, the damage to the building was said to be extensive.

Some of the items destroyed, according to the statement, include furniture, 10 electric generators, 300 ballot boxes and 270 voting cubicles, among others.

Olumekun noted that security agencies have been alerted and have already deployed personnel to the area to restore order and investigate the incident.

The statement read, “The Resident Electoral Commissioner for Benue State, Professor Sam Egwu has reported that our Local Government Area office in Sankara, headquarters of Ukum Local Government Area, has been attacked and burnt down.

“The incident occurred at 2 p.m. today, Wednesday 3rd July 2024, when the youths in the area were said to be protesting against the activities of bandits who attacked facilities of government agencies, including INEC.

“Although no casualties were reported, the building has been extensively damaged. Office furniture and other movable and immovable materials, including 10 electric generators, 300 ballot boxes, and 270 voting cubicles, were destroyed in the attack.”

According to data released by the INEC on December 16, 2022, the commission recorded 50 attacks on its facilities across 15 states in the last four years, with Imo State topping the list of states affected with 11 incidents.