NigeriaElections2023: ICPC arrests nine vote-buyers in three states, lawmaker to distribute to voters

 The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission arrested nine persons for vote-buying in Osun, Ondo, Borno, Akwa-Ibom and Sokoto states during the presidential and National Assembly Elections on Saturday, The PUNCH reports.

Four vote buyers were arrested by the Osun State office of the ICPC. Two persons were arrested by the Sokoto State office, while one person each was arrested by the Ondo, Akwa-Ibom and Borno states offices of the anti-graft agency.

The spokesperson for the commission, Azuka Ogugua, revealed this in a Saturday night statement obtained by our correspondent.

Ogugua said, “The four vote-buyers arrested in Osun State are Adewale Teslim, 32 years, Yemi Adebiyi, 42 years, Shake Idris, 36 years, and Emiola Oluwole, 69 years. The suspects, who are in the Osun state office’s custody, were found with documents containing lists of names, phone numbers and account details of voters during the election in the state.

“Operatives of the commission retrieved a list of names and phone numbers of voters from Adewale Teslim at Polling Unit 07, Ward 07, Ile Aganna in Olorunda Local Government Area of Osun state.

“The officers also recovered a list of people who had voted with their phone numbers and account details from Yemi Adebiyi at Polling Unit 06, Ward 04 at Ikirun Junction, Ikirun while Shake Idris was arrested at Polling Unit 6, Ward 10, Ofatedo area of Osun State with a notebook containing over 100 names and account numbers.”

The anti-corruption agency also recovered a notebook containing a list of voters’ names and account details from Mrs Afolabi Adijat at Ward 5, Polling Unit 04 of Ansar-ud-deen Mosque area of Olorunda Local Government.

“The agency’s officers, however, couldn’t arrest Mrs. Adijat due to the volatility of the area and insufficient armed personnel,” Ogugua noted.

The Ondo state office of the ICPC arrested one Mrs Idowu-Yemi Omolere at Polling Unit 12, Ward 12 behind Dada Estate Police Station in connection with the distribution of recharge cards to voters.

Ogugua noted that the ICPC personnel recovered 24 pieces of N500 recharge cards, a list of voters and their phone numbers as well as a techno phone.

Also, the Borno state office of the ICPC arrested one Garba Bahausa at the Bulunkutu Ward in possession of four PVCs and the sum of N49,000. The suspect distributed the money, food items and 20 wrappers.

In the course of his interrogation, Bahausa confessed that the money was given to him by a lawmaker to distribute to voters.

The Akwa Ibom state office of the ICPC arrested a woman, Mrs Idara Umoren, for collating the names and account details of voters suspected to have voted for her preferred candidate.

Umoren was arrested at the Signature Hotel Polling Unit on Plot 48G Line, Ewet Housing Estate, Akwa Ibom.

In Sokoto State, ICPC operatives arrested two persons Hassan Muhammad and Nafisa Sani for vote-buying at the Rabah Local Government Area.

Hassan Muhammad was caught in possession of signed tickets which were given to voters that voted for his party.

The ticket enabled the voters to be given women wrappers and bags of rice. Nafisa Sani was intercepted while giving wrappers to voters at a polling unit in Rabah Local Government Area of Sokoto.

The spokesperson for the anti-graft agency further noted that the ICPC team also monitored the election in the Federal Capital Territory where it observed that INEC officials exhibited pronounced slackness in the administration of the elections in Lambata and Yebu Polling Units of Kwali Area Council.

She added, “Accreditation and voting were yet to commence in many polling units of the Kwali Area Council due to inadequate supply of electoral materials.

“The ICPC operatives visited the INEC office in Kwali Area Council to compel the officers in charge to provide voting materials which aided the commencement of the exercise in the area council.”

The PUNCH reports that the commission had on Friday taken into custody one Hassan Ahmad who was in possession of the sum of N2 million cash in both old and new currencies in Bauchi state.

Ahmad was arrested by the Troops of 33 Artillery Brigade Operation Safe Conduct deployed to Alkaleri in Bauchi State and handed over to the Bauchi state office of the anti-corruption agency.