INEC, Security Agencies hold emergency meeting

The Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) Professor Mahmood Yakubu has held an emergency meeting on election security with heads of security agencies under the auspices of the Inter-Agency Consultative Committee on Election Security (ICCES) at the INEC headquarters in Abuja.

The meeting follows a spate of attacks on INEC facilities in Ebonyi, Anambra and other states in the country.

The emergency security meeting originally scheduled for Monday 24th May 2021 had to be rescheduled following the death of the former Chief of Army Staff (COAS) Lieutenant General Ibrahim Attahiru.

“Sadly, this emergency meeting originally scheduled for Monday this week had to be rescheduled. The death in active service of a member of this Committee, the former Chief of Army Staff (COAS) Lieutenant General Ibrahim Attahiru, was a tragic loss to the nation.

“May I, on behalf of the Commission and ICCES, extend our condolences to the Nigerian Army and the Nigerian Air Force for the loss of the COAS and other officers. It was indeed a monumental loss and we pray that God will grant them eternal rest and comfort their families,” Prof. Yakubu said.

Hon. Chairman INEC, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, at an emergency Meeting with the Security Agencies under the auspices of the Inter-Agency Consultative Committee on Election Security (ICCES) Held at the INEC Conference Room, Abuja, Monday 24th May 2021 pic.twitter.com/oLjDjizk0C

— INEC Nigeria (@inecnigeria) May 27, 2021

The INEC Chairman, while lamenting the attacks on its facilities, said the attacks have become a major threat to the Commission’s scheduled activities and the entire electoral process.

“No doubt, the last few weeks have been very challenging to the Commission. The spate of arson and vandalization targeting the Commission’s facilities and property has become a major threat to our scheduled activities and the entire electoral process.

“In the last two years, the Commission has recorded a total of 41 incidents involving deliberate attacks on the Commission’s facilities. Nine of these incidents happened in 2019 and 21 cases in 2020. In the last four weeks, 11 offices of the Commission were either set ablaze or vandalised.

Also Read: APC tasks security agencies to curb attacks on INEC facilities

“Two of these incidents were caused by Boko Haram and Bandit attacks while 10 resulted from thuggery during election and post-election violence. However, the majority of the attacks (29 out of 41) were unrelated to election or electoral activities. In fact, 18 of them occurred during the EndSARS protests in October last year while 11 attacks were organised by “unknown gunmen” and “hoodlums”,” the INEC Chairman said.

Graphical details of attacks on INEC Offices since the 2019 General Election, as at 24th May 2021 (1) pic.twitter.com/xhIYp9eBvI

— INEC Nigeria (@inecnigeria) May 27, 2021

He warned that the attacks will disrupt the electoral process, undermine Nigeria democracy and destabilise the country.

“These attacks, which initially appeared as isolated and occasional actions, have now become more frequent and systematic targeted at demobilising and dismantling critical electoral infrastructure in the country.

“This will not only undermine the Commission’s capacity to organise elections and other electoral activities but will also damage the nation’s electoral process and democracy. Indeed, these attacks on the Commission’s facilities should now be treated as a national security emergency,” he said.

Prof Yakubu pleaded with security agencies to halt the continued attacks on its facilities while also expressing confidence that by working together with the security agencies, the attacks and wanton destruction of critical electoral assets could be stopped.

“Under the auspices of ICCES, we should ramp up our activities to curtail these unjustifiable acts of aggression. This will entail not only drawing on our separate and collective resources within ICCES, but also increased collaboration with citizens, communities and all stakeholders,” he said.

In attendance at the meeting were the National Security Adviser Babagana Mongunu, the Director-General National Intelligence Agency Ahmed Abubakar, the Acting Chairman of Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Abdulrasheed Bawa, the Inspector General of the Police Alkali Usman.

Also in attendance were the representatives of the Chief of Defense Staff, as well as heads of the paramilitaries.

The NSA is the co-chair of the INEC Inter-Agency Consultative Committee on Election Security (ICCES).

 

Zainab Sa’id