By Victor Akinkuolie, Ado-Ekiti
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The Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, (NSCDC), has distanced its officials that participated in the just concluded governorship election in Ekiti of snatching money meant for inducing eligible voters during the election.
It could be noted that it was rumoured that some officials of the agency has snatched unspecified sum of money main to induce eligible voters while the exercise was going on.
The NSCDC in a statement in Ado-Ekiti on Tuesday by its Director, Public Relations, National Headquarters, Abuja, Olusola Odumosu, said no any official of the agency participated or arrest any politician in the act of inducing voters with money.
According to the statement, “the Corps wishes to state in clear terms that it’s operatives who were on election duty on Saturday, June 18, arrested two persons namely, Tope Aderibigbe aged 36, in connection with thuggery and one 42 years old Mrs Oguntoyinbo Bilikisu for vote buying.
“They were both accosted at a polling unit in Ado Local Government Area and not Ikere-Ekiti Local Government as alleged in the report.
“It is instructive to point out that, the Corps through its personnel performed its legitimate duties in collaboration with other security agencies and critical stakeholders in line with clearly spelt electoral guidelines without violating any of it.
He said the two suspects were apprehended after the attention of NSCDC election monitoring team was drawn by the people, mostly party agents, to a chaotic situation created by some individuals allegedly attempting to disrupt the peaceful conduct of the election through vote buying and attack on voters by rented thugs.
According to him, the timely intervention of the Corps restored normalcy to the polling units.
“However, only a sum of six thousand, seven hundred and twenty naira (N6,720) was found on the suspected vote buyer after a thorough search was conducted on her.
“In spite of that, a preliminary investigation commenced on the suspects who were later released in order not to disenfrachise them after being accredited to vote as no incriminating materials were found on them.
“To this end, the Corps wishes to state categorically, that, there was no collection or hijacking of any money belonging to any political party, their agents or any individual at Ikere-Ekiti Local Government.
Describing the report as not only report false, frivolous, a figment of imagination of the writer in an attempt to cast aspersion on the image and credibility of the Corps.
The statement said the Corps has worked assiduously in conjunction with other security agencies in ensuring a free, fair and credible governorship election in Ekiti state which was conducted in a peaceful atmosphere devoid of violence and rancour.
