Security agencies foil ballot box snatching

Security agencies foil ballot box snatching
By Samuel Okocha, Port Harcourt

The Nigerian army has arrested six persons for alleged ballot box snatching in Okrika, the Rivers State home town of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN)’s Governorship Candidate and one time Nigerian Minister of Transport, Abiye Sekibo.

A military source, who confirmed the arrest, added that two persons were also arrested for impersonating as soldiers in the area.

Voting process

Earlier, eligible voters in Rivers State, southern Nigeria, came out en masse on Tuesday to cast their ballot in the Governorship and State House of Assembly polls.

Voters had earlier been accredited as early as 8:00am local time before the commencement of actual voting at around 12:30pm.

In Ubima, 20 minutes drive from the state capital, Port Harcourt, voting started with the Governor of the state, Rotimi Amaechi, voting at 12:36pm local time.

A polling official had briefly lectured a large crowd of voters on the voting process before the commencement of voting.

There were long queues in most of the polling units in the state capital and other areas as voters waited to cast their votes.

Polling officials were on hand to ensure the voting process was religiously followed, while security officials deployed along major roads in the state were enforcing the order on restriction of movement.

Peaceful election

Speaking after casting his vote in Ubima, Governor Amaechi said that he was not aware of any incident of violence.

In his words:  “As the Governor of Rivers State I have not heard of any report of violence...as the Chief security of the State I have been monitoring. I drove from Port Harcourt to here and I did not see anybody on the road.”

His comments came in a media chat with reporters, following reports that an opposition candidate, Celestine Omehia of APGA was calling for the cancellation of the election due to violence and kidnapping. “They planned for violence but they did not succeed,” the Governor added.

The Secretary to the Resident Electoral Commissioner, REC in Rivers State, Edem Effange, confirmed to Voice of Nigeria that there had been reports of violence via text messages to the REC, but said there was nothing on ground to support the claims following visits by INEC observers.

“There are small skirmishes here and there which are normal but on the whole the voting is peaceful,” Effange said.

Williams