Hours before the off-cycle governorship election in Edo, the state government announced that soldiers successfully repelled an attempted invasion by suspected thugs at the Oredo Local Government Secretariat of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
Chris Nehikhare, the Edo State Commissioner for Communication and Orientation, unveiled this information at a press conference in Benin City.
Nehikhare praised the soldiers for their decisive actions and urged them to extend their presence to all 18 local government INEC offices to secure the collation centers.
He alleged that the thugs had plans to attack collation centers, particularly in Oredo, Egor, and Ikpoba Okha local government areas.
“We have received reports that thugs have overrun several INEC offices in various local government areas, especially Oredo, Etsako West, and Esan West. We do not yet know their affiliations,” he stated.
“This type of activity is unacceptable. However, moments before I entered this venue, I was informed that soldiers had successfully driven these thugs away from the Oredo secretariat, establishing a secure perimeter around the collation center.
“We are also hearing about their intentions to target these collations centers, particularly in strongholds like Oredo, Egor, and Ikpoba/Okha. Nevertheless, I remain optimistic because I am proud of the soldiers’ actions; they are displaying commendable character and discipline, reassuring citizens that they should not be intimidated by these threats.
“We encourage the soldiers to take charge of all 18 local government headquarters and secure these crucial collation centers.
While concerning trends are emerging, we are relieved to report that the soldiers are effectively managing the situation. The Oredo secretariat is now secure.”
