Nigeria: Police Arrest Nine in Possession of Voters' Registration Machine in Rivers

THE Rivers State Police Command has arrest nine persons allegedly being in possession of three voters' registration machines belonging to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). The Guardian gathered that the suspects were arrested in a hotel at Elele in Ikwere Local Government Area of the state. Meanwhile, residents of Lagos State have accused INEC officials conducting the ongoing voters' registration in some parts of the state of taking bribe. Some of the officials, who spoke with The Guardian on the condition of anonymity, however blamed their conditions of service for the conduct. They alleged that the Commission was not treating them well, hence their demand for cash before they registered anybody. Rivers State Police Public Relations Officer, Ahmad Muhammad, has confirmed the incident saying nine persons were arrested around a hotel in the area, who confessed to being internet frauds stars. He said: "Following a tip off that some persons with questionable characters were seen entering a hotel at Elele with concealed items in a carton, the Police immediately raided the hotel and arrested nine suspected youths who admitted that they were a syndicate of internet scammers trying to break into a code." Meanwhile, the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the state has accused the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) of being behind the act. A chieftain of APC, Chidi Wihioka, while briefing journalists yesterday in Port Harcourt on the development, said the hotel where the fraudsters were caught belonged to a chieftain of the PDP in the area. Wihioka, who is the APC candidate for the Ikwerre/Emohua Federal Constituency seat commended the Police for their swift action on the matter. Contacted, the Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) in the state, Mr. Aniedi Ikowaik, said they were yet to establish the allegation. He said: "We have done our findings; we have not seen anywhere where the machines were used. The Police said they did not make any arrest when we contacted them. All our machines are in tact; that is why they went to work today." In its reaction, the PDP in the state has denied the alleged involvement of the party in the incident, saying the story was cooked up. In a statement signed by the Special Adviser to the State Chairman (Media), Jerry Needam, the party described the story as false and misleading. In different units visited across Lagos where the voters' registration exercise was taking place, findings showed that the officials collected between N150 to N200 for fuel, and N100 for lamination. One of the official said they were not happy to collect money from people who were out to exercise their civic right, but noted that they could not help the situation as the Commission has slashed their pay. A man in his late 80s lamented what has become of the country saying: "What is meant to be free is now sold and no one is prosecuted for extorting the citizens who are out to exercise their right."