There was a midnight fire incident at Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) office in Udenu local government area of Enugu, Nigeria’s southern region.
The commissioner of police in Enugu, Mohammed Aliyu has ordered for quick investigation to know the actual cause of the fire outbreak at the INEC Obolio- Afor Office and the extent of the damages it caused.
Mr. Daniel Ndukwe who is a police spokesman in Enugu said that the fire, which happened at the INEC office in Obollo-Afor located in Udenu local government area, happened on May 13, at about 9.40 p.m.
Part of the statement made by Ndukwe on Friday, May 14, 2021 read:
“The command received a distress call at its Udenu Police Divisional Headquarters alleging that there was fire outbreak at the Obollo-Afor office of the INEC in Udenu council area.
“Police operatives attached to the division immediately raced to the scene while contacting Enugu State Fire Service office in the area to promptly put off the fire,”.
“Preliminary investigation suggests that the fire may have been caused by a power surge due to sudden power supply to the building before the incident occurred”.
Recall to the interview published by Daily Sun on April 17, Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe , the minority leader of the senate warned that 2023 general election may not hold if the current security crisis in the country is not effectively tackled.
In the last 24 months, there have been what appear to be targeted attacks on the offices of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in different parts of the country.
INEC has also warned that its preparations for the 2023 general election may suffer a huge setback.
The electoral commission gave the warning in response to the fire incidents in its offices. The national electoral body in a statement via Facebook on Sunday, May 2, stated that the recent attacks on its facilities, if unchecked, may affect future polls.
