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Some parts of Enugu State were thrown into a huge state of pandemonium when some criminals elements allegedly attacked and burnt down the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) office which is located in Igboeze North Local Government Area of Enugu State.
The office which is actually situated at the council’s headquarters in Ogurute had been totally destroyed on Sunday night after the break-in by the hoodlums who totally wreaked havoc on the premisis.
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It was also reported that the state fire service which has an office at Ogurute could not move in to save the situation for fear of further attacks until security was provided.
However, by the time security was provided, the fire had been completely razed down the building.
Sources added that the only thing the two fire trucks from Nsukka and Ogurute were able to do was to prevent the fire from spreading to nearby offices.
The hoodlums did not only raze down the building but also destroyed 748 ballot boxes.
The National Commissioner of Information and Voter Education Committee, Festus Okoye, confirmed the development.
Okoye who described the incident as worrisome said no casualties were reported, but 748 ballot boxes, 240 voting cubicles, and equipment were destroyed.
He said the Resident Electoral Commissioner for Enugu state, Mr. Emeka Ononamadu, reported that the office was set ablaze by yet-to-be-identified gunmen at 11.48 pm on Sunday, July 3.
“The arsonists overpowered the security guards, forced their way into the premises, and set the building ablaze.
“Although no casualties were reported, 748 ballot boxes, 240 voting cubicles, office furniture, and equipment were destroyed in spite of the best effort of the Enugu State Fire Service deployed from Nsukka,” Okoye said.
He that the commission was working to ascertain the status of voter registration machines for the ongoing Continuous Voter Registration (CVR), as well as uncollected Permanent Voters Cards (PVCs), locked up in the fireproof cabinet.
