Gunmen stormed the office of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in Enugu South Local Government Area (LGA) of Enugu State on Sunday night, killing one police officer and wounding another.
INEC National Commissioner for Information and Voter Education, Barrister Festus Okoye said: “The Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) for Enugu State, Dr Chukwuemeka Chukwu has reported that our office in Enugu South LGA was attacked by gunmen. The incident occurred around 9.12 pm, 15th January 2023.
“The security gatehouse was razed. Fortunately, the attackers could not gain access to the main building as a result of the rapid response from the police and army personnel from the 82 Division.
“The state Commissioner of Police and the REC were personally at the scene immediately after they received information about the attack. Of the two policemen deployed to protect the facility, one of them lost his life while the other sustained injuries and is receiving treatment”.
Okoye said that the incident was under investigation by security agencies, adding that the Inter-Agency Consultative Committee on Election Security in Enugu State, co-chaired by the REC and the Commissioner of Police, has been convened to discuss the latest incident and map out strategies to better protect INEC offices, personnel, and materials.
“Meanwhile, the destroyed gatehouse will be rebuilt, and the commission is proceeding with its preparations for the general election in Enugu State and the entire country as scheduled”, Okoye assured.
The incident is the latest in the series of assaults on INEC offices in the South-East.
However, a source from the village said that the residents quickly called the men of Fire Service, who arrived on time but could not go near the premises to extinguish the fire as a result of the dead body they sited around.
According to the source, “the building would not have been razed totally because we called the fire service men. But they were afraid of going inside because of the person that was shot dead.
“Everybody was really afraid. They felt the guys (gunmen) were still around. But we knew that the gunmen had left”.
