Imo Attack: INEC establishes contact with two missing staff, confirms one dead

Authorities of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), yesterday, said it has established communication with two of its officials, who went missing after Thursday’s attack by gunmen at a continuous voter’s registration centre in Imo State, confirming one dead.

According to the Commission, the missing staff members would soon be uniting with their families.

The Guardian learnt that the bandits killed one of the Commission’s staff, destroying and carting away materials.

The Imo State Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC), Francis Ezeonu, said, “With great sense of loss, I announce the death of our staff Nwokorie, Anthony, a security guard helping with the CVR exercise. He was shot by gunmen at Nkwo Ihitte (PU 004), Amakohia (RA 02).”

A statement issued on Friday, by the INEC National Commissioner and Chairman, Information and Voter Education Committee, Festus Okoye, said, “The Commission has now established contact with two of our staff missing after yesterday’s attack in Ihitte Uboma. They are safe and will soon be reunited with their families.”

The Commission disclosed that the exercise had been suspended across the state, except in some areas to be confirmed in the state and local council headquarters.

It continued: “Further to the unfortunate incident in Imo State in which our staff was killed by gunmen in Ihitte Uboma Local Government Area, the Commission has decided to suspend the ongoing Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) exercise in all the 54 additional centres created to facilitate the registration of voters across the state.

“The exercise will now be confined to our state and Local Government Area offices except in Orsu, Njaba and Ihitte Uboma where it is suspended indefinitely.

“This decision follows a further report from the Resident Electoral Commissioner, Prof. Francis C. Ezeonu, of threats to our staff involved in the exercise in Ehime Mbano Local Government Area. Earlier, the Commission had restricted the exercise to our offices in Oru East, Oru West, Orlu and Ohaji-Egbema Local Government Areas.

“The safety of staff remains a primary concern to the Commission. We will continue to ensure that no staff is put in harm’s way while working with the security agencies and community leaders to protect them and facilitate their work,” it concluded.