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Ridwan Oliyide & Chidinma Uzoma
Six thugs have been arrested as amidst several reports of violence attacks on voters, ballot box snatching and burning of ballot paper during the Governorship election in Ogun State.
PLATFORMTIMES gathered that hoodlums armed with guns attacked Sokoeke area Ward 14 polling unit 4 in Sagamu Area of the state threating to kill anyone who does not cast his/her vote for Action Progressive Congress.
An eye witness told PLATFORMTIMES that the hoodlums came with bikes shooting in the air to scare away voters.
She alleged that INEC officials at the poling unit were forced to thumbprint on ballot papers for APC.
“We were voting peacefully this morning when some people suddenly arrive on Okada, they were quite much and they were armed with guns. They started shooting in the air aggressively and people had to run for their lives, some people even collapse on the scene.
“They started instructing the Corp member working for INEC at the polling unit to start thumbprint on the ballot paper for APC. Other officials of INEC had to run for their lives leaving just one Corp member behind who was force to vote on ballot paper for APC”, she said.
Violence also erupted at Ward 8, units 6 & 7 Eleja Kajola Oke Ejigbo in the same local government as hoodlums reportedly burnt ballot papers.
One of the INEC officials in the area said that the thugs in their hundreds and faces covered, shut in the air to scare away voters before setting some of the INEC materials ablaze.
In a related development, PLATFORMTIMES also gathered that the Nigeria military has arrested 6 thugs in the Awolowo market in Sagamu for snatching ballot boxes means for the governorship election.
These thugs have since been taken to the police station proximate to the place of the arrest.
Meanwhile in hoodlums disrupted electoral process at ward 1, polling Unit 5, Ayegbami, Ikenne, as hoodlums hijack ballot box, making INEC officials take to their heels.
It took the intervention of security operatives led by the commissioner of Police, Frank Mba to restore normalcy.
Mba confirmed the arrest of some hoodlums for vote buying and misconduct but failed to speak in details.
As at the time of filling this report, the Police Public Relations Officer, Abimbola Oyeyemi told PLATFORMTIMES that Police were on their way to the affected areas and will retort later.
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