By EZEKIEL OBI, Abuja –
No fewer than 65 persons in 28 states have been arrested by the Economic and Financial Crime Commission (EFCC) over alleged voter inducement at the governorship and Houses of Assembly elections.
The Commision’s spokesman, Mr Wilson Uwujiaren, confirmed the arrest in the statement issued on Saturday in Abuja.
Mr. Uwujaren stated that 20 of the suspects were arrested in Kwara, while 13 suspects were arrested in Kaduna State.
He added that 12 suspects were arrested in Rivers; four suspected arrested each in Akwa Ibom and Cross River, while others were arrested in Gombe, Sokoto, Kebbi and Niger states.
“Those arrested in Kaduna State were 10 males and three females. They were apprehended by EFCC operatives either working on intelligence reports or were chanced upon during monitoring.
“A suspect allegedly involved in vote buying was nabbed at School Road, Unguwan Rimi in Kaduna. The suspect, who initially resisted arrest, is however in custody pending the conclusion of investigation.
“Also in Kaduna, a team arrested a suspect with voter coupons, which he confessed would be used to trace and pay those who voted for his party,’’ Uwujiaren stated.
He added that the EFCC team monitoring voting around Local Education Authority School, Kabala Doki in Kaduna also arrested two suspects for vote buying.
He noted that upon arrest, N67,500, a list containing names of voters, their PVC numbers and bank accounts details were recovered from the suspects.
The EFCC spokesman stated also that investigation showed that the major modus operandi of the suspects was to give cash, transfer money, coupons or send recharge cards to eligible voters to induce them.
Uwujiaren said a search of their persons and phones showed that most of them had transferred money into bank accounts of some voters on the lists recovered from them.
“Some of the items recovered from the suspects were voter cards, monies, lists containing names and accounts details of voters and telephone recharge cards,’’ he stressed.
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