*Public pick holes in the second statement
The Police have debunked reports on the arrest of some individuals in Maitama, Abuja, with electoral materials and some Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) machines by its operatives.
The Force Public Relations Officer, CSP Olumuyiwa Adejobi, in a statement on Wednesday, confirmed that operatives of the Force Intelligence Bureau (FIB) had acted on a tip from residents of an area in Maitama who reported suspicious activities.
Adejobi noted that the team visited the location, interviewed the occupants, and conducted a search on the house, adding that in the course of the search, some electoral materials and BVAS machines were discovered in their possession.
“However, the Independent National Electoral Commission, when contacted, confirmed that the occupants of the house are staff of Emperor Technology, outsourcing engineering services to the INEC, and they were immediately released to go about their lawful business,” the statement states.
The Force urged well-meaning members of the public to discountenance the “false and misconstrued” narrative.
In the police usual antocs, they denied what they said previously, saying now that the earlier information was propagated by what they described as “some sections of the media” about the arrest of these individuals and their link with BVAS manipulation.
According to Adejobi, “reporters and media houses should endeavour to do due diligence and ascertain the veracity of the information on the public space before spreading such to avoid being victims of the breaking news syndrome”.
The statement added, “furthermore, the Nigeria Police urges all and sundry to avoid the creation and spread of misinformation and disinformation which is capable of causing disaffection between the populace and state actors more so as we are at a critical and sensitive moment in our democracy.”
The police did not give detailed description of the building in question nor address information in the social media on the ownership of the property, since it is not a company office nor commercial complex, to clear every doubts.
They equally left a gapping hole on their level of efficiency, not stating whether it saw an operational base for INEC or if the BVAS machines in question were extra machines imported in case the required number gets spoilt or kept in case more of such is needed.
However, members of the public commend them for their quick investigation and conclusions, asking them to use the same speed to conclude all pending issues they are investigating and immediately release everyone in their custody who they could not tie down to any fact to have warranted being kept in custody.
