Rivers: Police arrest nine suspects with INEC materials

Operatives of the Rivers State Police Command has arrested at least nine persons allegedly in possession of the three registration machines and other items belonging to the Independent National Electoral Commission.

The suspects were apprehended with the INEC materials at Okabique Hotels in Elele, Ikwerre Local Government Area of the state at about 11.30pm on Thursday.

The hotel, according to a source, is owned by a chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party in the state.

“At about 7.30pm on Thursday, we started hearing rumours that some people have INEC machines in a hotel in Elele where they are registering voters with people’s photographs. We took it as a joke, but the calls continued.

“At a point, I didn’t know what to do because to be sincere, I was afraid of the Nigeria Police. So, at 10.30pm, I got another call telling me that police have stormed the place. That is Okabique Hotels, Elele.

“The police stormed the hotel and were searching from the pool side. After about fifteen minutes, the police could not lay hands on anything. So, they were about leaving when one guy drove in a black jeep.

“The police was earlier informed that the people were using a black jeep, but when they got there, the black jeep was not there. When the police was about to leave, the black jeep drove in. The guy came down and walked like somebody who is in-charge of everywhere.

“The police pretended as if there was nothing wrong and the guy said, okay, you people came to assist us in PDP in what we are doing. He said they are using Room 8 in the hotel and that is where they had all the equipment. The policemen now said, okay no problem, we have heard you.

“The police officer, who led the team, went into the hotel and called the girl that is in charge and asked her to take him to Room 8; the girl was shocked. When they got to Room eight, the occupants refused to open the door,” the source, who preferred anonymity, said.

He added that the policemen decided to force the door open and was able to recover three registration machines belonging to INEC.

It was gathered that the security agents, who also recovered other items like printers and photographs of some persons, ordered those in the room to lie on the ground.

“The police officer broke the door and that was where they found about three INEC machines that they were using, printers, photographs of people. They ordered all of them to lie down.

“The police arrested seven persons they found inside the room and handcuffed them before putting them in their vehicle. For fear of reprisal attack on them, police took off with the seven persons and the recovered items and drove straight to the State Criminal Investigation Department, where they handed over all of them,” the source added.

The State Police Public Relations Officer, Mr. Ahmad Mohammad, who confirmed the arrest of the suspects, explained that they (suspects) claimed that they were Internet scammers who wanted to unlock a code.

“Following a tip off that some persons with questionable characters were seen entering a hotel at Elele with concealed items in a carton, the police immediately raided the hotel and arrested nine suspected youths,” Mohammad said..

Reacting to the incident, the State Chapter of the PDP maintained that it was not involved in any form of illegal registration in Elele.