Reps To Investigate Attacks On INEC Offices

House of Representatives yesterday condemned the spate of attacks on staff of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and the burning of the offices of the electoral body in several parts of the country.

To this end, the House constituted an Ad-hoc Committee to investigate the attacks on INEC offices. The ad-hoc committee chaired by Taiwo Oluga, is expected to submit its report within three weeks for more legislative actions.

The House also called on police to be apolitical in the provision of security for politicians and other stakeholders, ahead of the 2023 polls, charged the political class, as well as the police to uphold the various accords across the country.

Similarly, the parliament charged security agencies to synergize with the Attorney General of the Federation and the Minister of Justice to identify, investigate, arrest and prosecute those responsible for the attacks.

This followed the adoption of a motion by Olarewaju Kunle on "Need to Condemn Attacks on Offices and Facilities of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC)," at Wednesday's plenary.

Kunle, in his motion, argued that the "systemic arson and attacks on the personnel, offices and facilities of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), the premeditated attacks is targeted at crippling the Commission and scuttling the 2023 General Elections.

"Between February 2019 and May 2021 the Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) reported at least 41 arsons were carried out on the Independent National Electoral Commission facilities in fourteen (14) States.