The Federal Capital Territory Police Command has refuted claims that irate voters in Abuja on Saturday lynched a corps member serving as a polling unit agent.
The police also stated that the member of the force who was shown on camera with his colleagues did not tamper with thumb-print ballots, but rather helped INESC personnel salvage the election materials.
This was disclosed in a statement released on Sunday by Josephine Adeh, the FCT Police Command spokesman.
“The FCT Police Command wishes to clarify an instance of misinformation and disinformation on social media suggesting that a police officer was found in possession of thumb-printed ballot papers,” Adeh stated.
“This is not true because the officer was merely helping INEC officials recover election documents after they had been attacked by voters at the polling place,” the officer said.
Adeh added that the incident at Polling Unit 009, Lugbe Local Education Authority, started when INEC officials showed up with incomplete electoral materials. This infuriated the electorate, who resorted to attacking the officials and destroying the materials while alleging an attempt at disenfranchisement, and the incident escalated from there.
“The officers, in an attempt to prevent the officials from being mobbed and the materials from being damaged, assisted in relocating some of the objects to the disgust of the electorate who vented their rage on the officers as well as the officials,” she continued.
“It is equally important to note that the Divisional Police Officer and his troops from the Lugbe Divisional Headquarters protected and took the corps member who was attacked in the video to safety. He wasn’t killed, despite what the popular news suggested.
“The FCT Command now issues a warning to the electorate, requesting that they maintain decorum and refrain from criticizing legitimate authorities while all grievances are directed into the appropriate channels for redress.