ENUGU, Nigeria (VOICE OF NAIJA) – Some vote buyers have attacked operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), on election monitoring duty in Kaduna State during the governorship election on 18 March, 2023.
The incident occurred when the operatives were trying to arrest a suspected vote buyer at School Road, Unguwan Rimi Kaduna.
The team, working on intelligence on the alleged activities of one Kabiru Musa who was seen in an amateur video allegedly inducing eligible voters by using his phone to transfer money into their accounts as they cast their votes, had mobilized to the scene to arrest the suspect, the Commissioner said on its official Twitter handle, on Saturday.
Immediately Musa was accosted by the operatives, he became unruly and screamed to attract the attention of his syndicate members, who descended on the EFCC operatives, using all manner of weapons that left some of them injured.
The operatives said it took great restraints for them to ignore the unprovoked attack but insisted on arresting the suspect.
The Commission disclosed that as the team drove away with the suspect, their vehicle was pelted with stones and other dangerous objects that damaged the windshield, as three operatives suffered varying degrees of injuries in the process.
The injured operatives are currently receiving medical attention at the Medical Centre of the Kaduna Zonal Command, while the suspect is in custody, pending conclusion of the investigation.