In a viral video seen by SaharaReporters, a man in a police uniform was caught and paraded by the residents of the Amakohia Ikeduru Collation Centre in Imo.
The Nigeria Police Force says it has begun an investigation into the case of a police officer apprehended for his alleged involvement in ballot box snatching and electoral malpractice in the Imo State governorship election.
In a viral video seen by SaharaReporters, a man in a police uniform was caught and paraded by the residents of the Amakohia Ikeduru Collation Centre in Imo.
He was accused of snatching a ballot box.
The video shows that the supposed policeman had been beaten and assaulted by scores of angry residents.
Reacting to this, the Force Public Relations Officer, Olumuyiwa Adejobi on his X (formerly Twitter) handle, described the incident as a dent in the integrity and good reputation of the force, particularly as related to the electioneering process in Nigeria.
The Nigeria Police Force is aware of the allegation regarding this supposed police officer purportedly involved in ballot snatching at the Amakohia Ikeduru Collation Centre in Imo State. We do not take this issue lightly as it bothers on the integrity of the force and the… pic.twitter.com/kzWtn87TvK
— Prince Olumuyiwa Adejobi (@Princemoye1) November 11, 2023
Adejobi said the police force was aware of the allegation regarding the supposed police officer purportedly involved in ballot box snatching at the Amakohia Ikeduru Collation Centre in Imo.
“We do not take this issue lightly as it borders on the integrity of the force and the capability of its members to maintain election integrity. We therefore assure the public that a thorough investigation will be conducted, and we will update you asap. It requires a thorough investigation,” he said.
On Saturday, governorship elections were held in Kogi, Bayelsa, and Imo states.
SaharaReporters had also reported how a man was killed in Kogi for allegedly attempting to snatch a ballot box and disrupt the voting process in the Anyigba local government area of Kogi State.
The Transition Monitoring Group (TMG) revealed this on its X account on Saturday morning, sharing the video of a man clad in black lying in his pool of blood.
“An alleged leading political party thug was gunned down in Anyigba LGA, Kogi State in an attempt to disrupt the election by snatching the ballot box,” TMG wrote.