Some suspected hoodlums have set on fire an office of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) at Iyana, Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital.
The hoodlums, numbering about eight, had scaled the perimeter fence, jumped into the premises, and set the INEC building on fire from the back.
They were said to have soaked loaves of bread with petrol and thrown them into the building at different angles to light up the INEC office.
Our correspondent learnt that the facility’s security guard, Azeez Hamzat, called the police at around 1 a.m., saying the facility was on fire.
The police from the Ibara division were said to have mobilized detectives to the scene while contacting firefighters, who raced to extinguish the fire.
The inferno affected the store, the Registration Area Officer’s office, and the conference room.
A source also told our correspondent that the fire also affected non-sensitive materials.
“No life was lost and no injury was sustained in the fire,” DAILY POST learnt.
It was shocking – Ogun REC laments
Meanwhile, the Ogun INEC Resident Electoral Commissioner, Niyi Ijalaye, has confirmed the incident and described it as shocking.
“It is correct that our office was set on fire. The police are investigating. I do not know what to say. I’m in shock myself. We called the police and other security agencies at night. The fire brigade put the situation under control. The level of damage is still being assessed.
“It is very shocking and untoward. Security agencies are doing their very best. We are meeting again later today to come up with other strategies (toward securing our facilities),” Ijalaye said.
As of the time this report was filed, the Ogun State Police Public Relations Officer, Abimbola Oyeyemi, could not be reached for comments.
