Armed thugs attack Lagos polling units, destroy ballot boxes ,chase away voters
*Many arrested over election disruption- Lagos CP Idowu
Voting in parts of Lagos was disrupted on Saturday as thugs invaded polling units ,according to The Cable reports.
At two polling units in Igbokusu town II, Eti Osa rea of the state, it was observed that ballot boxes were broken, while ballot papers were discarded.
Speaking on the incident, Adegbite Adefemi, a resident, said “some boys” invaded the polling unit, chased away voters, and broke the ballot boxes.
“Around 2pm, some boys came here, observed the processes, and went away. A few minutes later, they came back with clothes tied to their faces and started chasing people all around with machetes,” he said.
“They broke ballot boxes and scattered the already used ballot papers.”
Kingsley Onyechere, a police officer, who confirmed the incident, said officers were deployed to the polling unit to curtail the event.
“We were called to the areas after the incident happened,” Onyechere added.
Thugs also attacked a polling unit around the Elegushi area in the state.
Reacting to the attacks, Adenike Oriowo, spokesperson of INEC in Lagos, said the commission will release a statement giving a detailed explanation on the development.
Meanwhile, several videos trending on social media showed attacks said to have been recorded in parts of the state.
At Aguda, Surulere, a video posted on Twitter showed a man telling people to go home if they are not voting for the All Progressives Congress (APC).
“If you no fit vote APC for here go your house. Nobody force you come here o. Go house o. If I see you vote another party, I will call Luka,” the man said in the video.
“If you vote for another party you go enter wahala. We no con joke for here. This territory wey we dey for here na APC o.”
In another video, a man is seen warning persons of Igbo extraction not to vote at his location.
“I repeat am again. Any Igbo wey dem born very well, me I dey here, make hin con vote here,” he said.
Another video shared on Twitter claimed that voters were left stranded after some electoral materials were set ablaze by hoodlums.
Yet another footage showed persons described as voters at Ikate, Lekki, running on the streets with thugs said to have disrupted voting in the area.
Meanwhile , the commissioner of Lagos State Police Command Idowu Owohunwa has said that many arrests have been made while on patrol over thuggery disruptions of the electoral process in some areas of Lagos state.
The Commissioner toured the Lagos metropolis and its environs, in company with some journalists, especially the Oshodi axis where it was reported of thuggery disruption of the electoral process at five polling units.
He said this while briefing pressmen at the Ikeja Police Command.
According to him “Thuggery, violence or anything that violates the electoral act or the criminal status of this country, we should jointly condemn it not to change the narrative and put the blame on the police.
The Nigeria police, military, DSS, and all others have been working as a team since morning and we have been having isolated challenges. The police didn’t do it alone, even the citizens will sometimes trigger our actions to come to their rescue.
“Arrest has been made so far and we are still watching carefully “
It was earlier reported that despite police presence two thugs in mask, with guns attack voters at Oshodi stealing an INEC official’s phone, and money and leaving the ballot box burnt.
According to the INEC who acted anonymity says, the thugs arrived at the polling unit immediately after the soldiers stationed at the polling unit left.
He said; Police were unarmed looking while the operation was being carried out by the thugs and BVAS were destroyed. We could stay there any longer so we had to plead with the police that came to rescue us to drive us out “
The areas attacked at Oshodi include Branco, Ijaiye, Owolabi, and Adedeji Owoseni
Also, at Surulere some thugs were seen threatening voters to cast their vote for a particular party.
