Imo Has Highest Record Of Attacks On INEC Facilities – Data Reveals

Fresh information has emerged that Imo State ranks highest on the record of the state where Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) facilities have been attacked.

Naija News understands that a document released by the commission made available to Punch revealed that Imo had the highest number of attacks on INEC facilities with 11 incidents in the last four years.

The said INEC document showed that the electoral umpire has in the last four years between 2019 and 2022 recorded 50 attacks on its facilities across 15 states.

The analysis showed that Imo had the highest number of attacks on INEC facilities with 11 incidents within the four years under review, followed by Osun with seven attacks, Akwa-Ibom and Enugu, with five attacks each, Ebonyi, Cross River, Abia, also with four attacks each too.

And Anambra and Taraba with two, while Borno, Ogun, Lagos, Bayelsa, Ondo, and Kaduna, recorded one attack each of INEC facilities.IMO State

A further breakdown of the data showed that the commission recorded eight attacks in 2019, 22 attacks in 2020, and 12 and eight attacks in 2021 and 2022 respectively.

The states in which the attacks took place between the period under review were Osun, Ogun, Lagos, Ondo, Bayelsa, Anambra, Imo, Abia, Akwa-Ibom, Cross River, Enugu, Ebonyi, Kaduna, Borno, and Taraba.

Naija News gathered that in 2019, INEC facilities were attacked in Osun, Bayelsa, Imo, and Akwa-Ibom, while in 2020 its offices in Osun, Ondo, Lagos, Imo, Abia, Cross River, Anambra, Borno, and Taraba were attacked.

The data indicated that in 2021 the commission’s facilities were attacked in the following states Kaduna, Ebonyi, Enugu, Anambra, Imo, Abia, and Akwa-Ibom.

And in 2022, when the nation is gearing up for the 2023 general election, the commission’s facilities in Ogun, Osun, Ebonyi, Imo, and Enugu states have been so far attacked.

The data further revealed that while 20 of the attacks were caused by gunmen and hoodlums, 18 attacks were trigged by EndSARS protests, six were attacks during elections, while post-election violence recorded four attacks and bandit and Boko Haram attacks had one each.

Naija News gathered that in total the nature of the incidents include 20 arson, and 26 vandalisation, while arson and vandalisation recorded four.