#NigeriaDecides: Soldiers Retrieve Two Stolen Ballot Boxes From Thugs In Gombe

Two of the four ballot boxes reportedly snatched in Gombe State earlier have been retrieved by gallant soldiers of the Nigerian Army.

There were reports of disruption of electoral processes at the Government Science Secondary School in the Jekadafari area of the state earlier during 2023 presidential, senate and house of representative elections.

Naija News understands that thugs invaded the polling unit of the State Governor, Muhammadu Yahaya, and stole four ballot boxes. Recall that Yahaya was the North-East Coordinator of the Tinubu/Shettima Presidential Campaign Council.

An eyewitness, Abdulkadir Babangida, who confirmed the incident to The PUNCH, said the hoodlums arrived at the venue bearing guns, daggers and other dangerous weapons when the counting for the House of Representatives election was underway, aiming to snatch ballot boxes, papers and other relevant materials.

He said they succeeded in taking four boxes, but security personnel later recovered two. The incident happened around 7.20 pm on Saturday.

“They made away with four boxes, but the security operatives retrieved two from them. It took the intervention of the military to retrieve just two boxes from the four carried by the hoodlums,” Babangida’s words read.

Suspected Hoodlums Invade Gombe INEC Ad Hoc Staff Camp

Earlier before the commencement of the presidential and national assembly elections, hoodlums attacked ad hoc staff of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

Naija News reports that the ad hoc staff were camped at Tudunwada Primary School in the Gombe metropolis. It was gathered that the attackers took away no fewer than three phones, backpacks and power banks.

However, three persons were rushed to the hospital having sustained machete cuts, while others are nursing varying injuries.

An eyewitness who confirmed the attack anonymously said the hoodlums made away with the phones of some of his colleagues trained to conduct the presidential and national assembly elections.

He disclosed that many of them were injured following the attack while trying to flee for safety. He added, “The police and the school guard were nowhere to be found. They went with phones belonging to my colleagues. I sustained injuries while trying to escape.”