Over 65 persons have been arrested by Nigeria’s Anti-graft Agency the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC in 28 states on Saturday during the Governorship and State Houses of Assembly elections for alleged voter inducement.
Twenty of the suspects were arrested by operatives from the Ilorin Zonal Command while 13 suspects were nabbed by operatives on election monitoring duty at the Kaduna Zonal Command.
A press statement by the Commission’s spokesperson Mr Wilson Uwujaren disclosed that the teams monitoring the polls in the Port Harcourt Zone arrested 12 people for various offences bordering on the inducement of voters, while the Uyo Zonal Command made 4 arrests in Calabar.
He said the remaining suspects were arrested in Gombe, Sokoto, Kebbi and Niger states.
Also in Kaduna, the Tẹam led by ACE II Esmond Garba arrested one Buhari Muhammed in PU 002 Dogara Yaro Dagari area.
Uwujaren said, the suspect was arrested with voter coupons, which he confessed would be used to trace and pay those who voted for his party.
Also, the team monitoring the voting exercise around LEA Kabala Doki, Kaduna led by CSE Wakilu Omokide arrested two individuals suspected of vote buying.
Uwujaren said, upon their arrest, a total sum of N67,500, a list containing names of voters with their PVC numbers and their bank account details amongst others, were recovered from them.
He explained that investigation has revealed that the major modus operandi of the suspects is to give cash, transfer money, coupons and send recharge cards to eligible voters to induce them to vote for their candidates.
Some of the items recovered from the suspects include voter canrds, money, a list containing names and account details of voters and recharge cards.
Vote buying
Officers of the Kaduna Command also arrested two persons in Niger State for alleged vote buying.
In Port Harcourt, the election monitoring teams arrested 10 suspects alleged to be involved in voter inducement at Moscow Road, Elekahia, Township, Mile 2, Ward 2 polling Unit 2 and 30, Ogbum, Phalga, Port Harcourt.
He said the suspects were arrested with A4 papers that had names, telephone and account numbers of persons suspected to be voters.
Investigations are still ongoing to determine the culpability of each suspect.
Emmanuel Ukoh
