How An INEC Offficer Escaped Through Manhole When Thugs Attacked Zuba Collation Centre

Some hoodlums caused serious chaos on Saturday night as they attacked the collation centre in Zuba area of the FCT.

The hoodlums took away ballot boxes, ballot papers and other materials for the presidential and National Assembly elections.

Narrating the incident at the INEC Area Council Collation Centre in Gwagwalada on Sunday, Dr Ayangeadoo Hur-Yagba, lamented that he escaped through a manhole to avert the rage of the thugs who invaded the centre and destroyed all the results.

Hur-Yagba, in company of the National Assembly collation officer, Dr Mrs Elizabeth Jenkwe, told journalists, security operatives and INEC officials that they had no results to present as the thugs took away all the result sheets.

He said, “Not long after we started, a lady walked in and whispered to me that we should not continue with the collation because it was not safe. That if we continued thugs would come and collect the results from us. I discussed with the police officers on ground to see what they could do in the circumstance.

“Meanwhile, only one party agent was with us in the hall, that of the Labour Party (LP), the other ones went away while those of the APC gathered outside and were discussing. Five of them and their supervisor. I told them to come inside, but they said no, that we should feel free to continue and that nothing would happen.

“I reported the situation to the policemen because of what I witnessed outside; that we were not safe and that there was the need to beef up security. One of them suggested that we relocate to another place. As we were talking more presiding officers were coming from their polling units.

“Before we knew it, the agents disappeared and the security told us that there were about a hundred hoodlums gathering outside and some already jumping the fence. At about 9pm, the hoodlums cut the generator cable and invaded the hall with sticks, stones and other weapons and attacked us.

“We had to run for our dear lives. I had to remove my INEC jacket, removed the cap and disguised myself in the darkness and moved with the crowd. I ran to the other side of the fence where I met an old security guard of the school who assisted me to escape through a manhole before I trekked to the Kaduna-Zuba road.”