Protesting youths set INEC office ablaze in Benue
On Wednesday, young protestors attacked and set fire to the Independent National Electoral Commission's office in Sankara, the administrative centre of Ukum Local Government Area in Benue State.
In a statement on Wednesday, Sam Olumekun, the National Commissioner and Chairman of the Information and Voter Education Committee, acknowledged the attack.
In the statement, the state's resident electoral commissioner, prof. Sam Egwu, stated that the incident happened at 2:00 pm when young people were staging a demonstration against local criminals' activities.
As the protest got more intense, other government buildings, including the INEC office, were destroyed.
Although there have been no confirmed casualties, the structure has reportedly sustained significant damage.
According to the statement, among the things destroyed were 270 voting booths, 300 vote boxes, 10 power generators, and furnishings.
Olumekun stated that in order to restore order and conduct an investigation into the occurrence, security agencies had already sent officers to the area after being notified.
The statement said, "Our Local Government Area office in Sankara, the capital of Ukum Local Government Area, has been attacked and burned down, according to Professor Sam Egwu, the Resident Electoral Commissioner for Benue State.
The incident happened at 2:00 PM on Wednesday, July 3, 2024, when local teenagers were reportedly staging a demonstration against robbers who were targeting government buildings, including INEC.
Despite the fact that no casualties were reported, the structure has been extensively damaged. Office furniture and other movable and immovable materials, including 10 electric generators, 300 ballot boxes, and 270 voting cubicles, were destroyed in the attack.”
In the last four years, the commission has documented 50 attacks on its facilities across 15 states, with Imo State leading the list of afflicted states with 11 instances, according to data issued by the INEC on December 16, 2022.
