Alleged vote-buyers attacked government officials on Saturday Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) during the gubernatorial and House of Assembly elections in Kaduna state.
EFCC spokesman Wilson Uwujaren said in a statement that commission officers were attacked on School Road in the Unguwan Rimi area of Kaduna as they tried to arrest a suspected vote-buyer.
The operatives were deployed to the voting unit following an intelligence report in an amateur video where a vote buyer, Kabiru Musa, allegedly lured eligible voters by using his phone to transfer money to their accounts while they were casting their ballots.
According to the statement, the EFCC agents who went to the scene to arrest Musa were injured.
Recounting the incident, the anti-corruption agency said that immediately the operatives accosted Mr. Musa, he “became unruly and yelled to attract the attention of his union members, who descended on the operatives, using all kinds of weapons that they left behind. some of them (operatives) wounded.
“It took great restraints for the officers to ignore the unprovoked attack, but they insisted on arresting the suspect.”
“As the team drove away with the suspect, rocks and other dangerous objects were thrown at his vehicle, damaging the windshield, and three officers sustained varying degrees of injury in the process.
“The injured officers are receiving medical attention at the Kaduna Zonal Command Medical Center, while the suspect is in custody, awaiting the conclusion of the investigation.
“It will be recalled that EFCC teams were similarly attacked during the presidential and national assembly elections, leaving some of their vehicles badly damaged.”
The statement quoted EFCC Chairman Abdulrasheed Bawa as praising “officers for exercising great restraint under extreme provocation.”
ALSO READ: EFCC arrests suspected serial Canadian visa scammer
“However, he called on the public to desist from attacking Commission officials, as such action would no longer be tolerated,” Bawa added.
The anti-corruption agency deployed operatives in different parts of the country to combat vote trading during the general elections.
