By Adadareporters
The Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, (NSCDC), Sunday, distanced itself from news alleging that the agency snatched party money meant for vote buying in the Ekiti State gubernatorial election held weekend.
The corps stated this in a release its director, public relations, DCC Olusola Odumosu.
Odumosu said the operatives of the corps who were on election duty on Saturday, June 18, arrested two persons namely, Tope Aderibigbe a.k.a ‘Say War’, aged 36, in connection with thuggery, and one Mrs Oguntoyinbo Bilikisu, 42, over alleged vote buying.
“They were both accosted at a polling unit in Ado Local Government Area and not Ikere-Ekiti Local Government as alleged in the report,’ the release said.
Odumosu added, “The corps, through its personnel, performed its legitimate duties in collaboration with other security agencies and critical stakeholders in line with clearly spelt electoral guidelines without violating any of them.
“The two suspects were apprehended, after the attention of the NSCDC election monitoring team was drawn by the people, mostly, party agents, to a chaotic situation created by some individuals allegedly attempting to disrupt the peaceful conduct of the election through vote buying and attack on voters by rented thugs.
“The timely intervention of the corps restored normalcy to the polling units. However, only a sum of six thousand thousand, seven hundred and twenty naira (N6,720) was found on the suspected vote buyer after a thorough search was conducted on her.
“A preliminary investigation has commenced on the suspects, who were later released in order not to disenfranchise them after being accredited to vote as no incriminating materials were found on them.
“There was no collection or hijacking of any money belonging to any political party, their agents or any individual at Ikere-Ekiti Local Government.
“The report is false, frivolous and perhaps a figment of imagination of the writer in an attempt to cast aspersion on the image and credibility of the corps.”
