See Why The Police Intercepted INEC Materials In Zamfara

The police in Zamfara State Police have intercepted election material being transported by unauthorized persons to Sokoto from Abuja.

While Speaking at a joint press briefing of the police and the INEC office in Gusau, the state capital, the commissioner of police in Zamfara, Celestine Okoye, said the vehicle carrying the material was intercepted by a police patrol team on stop and search operation.

He said the Volkswagen golf car ran into two cyclists when the driver tried to escape being stopped and searched. He said the driver was hurriedly loading the material into another vehicle when officers arrived and arrested him.

“As I was already alerted, I swiftly left my office to the scene and right now the vehicle is in our custody.”

Mr Okoye said the seized cargo were insensitive election materials. He added that the police were investigating to find out where the materials came from.

The commissioner warned that the police will not take it lightly with any unauthorized person caught with INEC materials. He said the state police command had made all necessary arrangement to ensure INEC materials and other facilities are well protected.

Confirming the arrest and subsequent confiscation of the materials, the resident electoral commissioner (REC) for the state, Asmau Sani Maikadi, said the materials were for INEC.

She said INEC discovered that the materials were insensitive ones and were being taken to Sokoto from Abuja.

“What we discovered was actually materials that were not all that sensitive, some of them were like exercise books and were being taken to our Sokoto zonal office.”

Maikudi, also said the materials were meant to be dispatched to Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) zonal office when the police intercepted it in a stop-and-search operation.

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