A senior police officer {names withheld, who is also the Divisional Police Officer attached to Magama Local Government area of Niger State, has been accused of snatching four ballot boxes and papers at the Mungoro central polling unit of the Majin ward in Niger State.
According to sources, he also allegedly tear-gassed officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC and voters who were on a queue to cast their votes.
Speaking on the incident, an eyewitness, Mr. Ibrahim Rege, stated that accreditation of voters was peacefully conducted and that voting was already in progress when the DPO invaded the polling unit, fired teargascanisters at the crowd and allegedly took the ballot boxes and papers away.
Rege said: “The entire voting process was on course peacefully. Accreditation was peacefully carried out and voters were orderly on the queue to cast their vote when the DPO stormed the polling unit, tear-gassed both INEC officials and the people before carting away the ballot boxes together with the thumb-printed and virgin ballot papers”.
According to him, people in the area had before now reported the DPO to the Area Commander, accusing him of personally destroying posters and billboards of APC candidates.
Speaking on the issue, the embattled Deputy Governor of the state, Ahmed Ibeto, who is also from the area, said he was informed of the incident, expressing concern at the less than professional behaviour of the police officer.
However, the state Commissioner of Police, Mr. Emmanuel Amore, when contacted on phone, denied the allegation, explaining that the DPO merely helped to rescue INEC officials at the polling unit and materials from hoodlums.
Amore said: “It is not true; my DPO only protected the INEC officials and their materials from some hoodlums. They are only making allegations because they were not allowed to carry out their nefarious activity
“Go and ask INEC if any of their material is missing. My DPO only helped to protect the INEC officials and materials”.
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