Protesters on Wednesday set fire to the Independent National Electoral Commission office in Sankara, the headquarters of Ukum Local Government Area in Benue State.
According to The PUNCH, the National Commissioner and Chairman of the Information and Voter Education Committee, Sam Olumekun, confirmed the attack in a statement on Wednesday.
The statement stated that Resident Electoral Commissioner for the state, Prof. Sam Egwu, reported that the attack took place at 2 p.m.
The protesters, primarily youths, were demonstrating against bandit activities in the area, which led to the destruction of several government facilities, including the INEC office.
No casualties have been reported, but the damage to the building is extensive.
The statement listed some of the destroyed items to include office furniture, 10 electric generators, 300 ballot boxes, and 270 voting cubicles.
Olumekun noted that security agencies have been alerted and have deployed personnel to the area to restore order and investigate the incident.
The statement read, “The Resident Electoral Commissioner for Benue State, Professor Sam Egwu has reported that our Local Government Area office in Sankara, headquarters of Ukum Local Government Area, has been attacked and burnt down.
“The incident occurred at 2 p.m. today, Wednesday 3rd July 2024, when the youths in the area were said to be protesting against the activities of bandits who attacked facilities of government agencies, including INEC.
“Although no casualties were reported, the building has been extensively damaged. Office furniture and other movable and immovable materials, including 10 electric generators, 300 ballot boxes, and 270 voting cubicles, were destroyed in the attack.”
Data released by INEC on December 16, 2022, indicated that the commission recorded 50 attacks on its facilities across 15 states in the past four years, with Imo State having the highest number of incidents at 11.
