The Ebonyi State Police Command has apprehended six officers who were on duty at Ezza North Local Government Area of the state, during last Saturday’s governorship and House of Assembly elections.
It will be recalled that unknown hoodlums had invaded Community Secondary School, Okposi Umuoghara (polling unit 07), which served as of Independent National Electoral Commission’s Registration Area Centre, setting fire on electoral materials within the premises, burning down the school building in the process.
The six policemen were detained for their failure to arrest any of the suspects involved in the act.
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“After invading the place, they started shooting sporadically, which scared people away, before setting the centre and INEC sensitive materials ablaze,” an eyewitness told Southern City News.
It was also revealed that state Commissioner of Police, Awosola Awotunde, had reported to the officer in charge of election monitoring in the South-East, who ordered for the arrest and proper investigation of the incident, which is suspected to be a form of sabotage.
Confirming the incident, the Police Public Relations Officer, ASP Loveth Odah, said “The officers are being tried on oath; they were subjected to internal investigation. They are being investigated and the ad-hoc employees are being investigated.”
The policemen, in their statements, claimed that the hoodlums came in and put off the generator supplying light to the centre, which made it difficult for them to confront them (hoodlums) to avoid shooting at an innocent ad-hoc or INEC workers who were in the premises.