PVCs, vote boxes damaged after attack on INEC office in Ebonyi

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) says valuable items including ballot boxes, voting cubicles and power generating sets were destroyed after an attack on its Izzi Local Government Area (LGA) office in Ebonyi

Mr. Festus Okoye, the INEC National Commissioner and Chairman, Information and Voter Education Committee, said this in a statement in Abuja.

Okoye said that the state's INEC Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC), Mrs. Onyeka Pauline Ugochi, reported that the office was set ablaze on Sunday morning by some unidentified attackers.

He said that the incident occurred around 10 a.m.

"Although no casualties resulted from the attack, the main building and all the movable and immovable items inside it were destroyed."

"These include 340 ballot boxes, 130 voting cubicles, 14 electric power generators, large water storage tanks, assorted office furniture and fixtures, and yet to be determined quantities of Permanent Voters' Cards (PVCs)," he said.

Okoye said that the attention of the police and other security agencies has been drawn to the incident and an investigation has commenced.

"Sadly, this is the third attack on our LGA office in less than three weeks following similar attacks on our offices in Ogun and Osun on Nov. 10," Okoye said.