Operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, who were on election monitoring duty in Kaduna State on Saturday came under attack at School Road, Unguwan Rimi Kaduna while attempting to arrest a suspected vote buyer.
The team, working on intelligence on the alleged activities of one Kabiru Musa who was seen in an amateur video allegedly inducing eligible voters by using his phone to transfer money into their accounts as they cast their votes, were mobilized to the scene to arrest the suspect.
The spokesman of the anti-graft agency, Wilson Uwujaren told Daily Trust that immediately after he was accosted by the operatives, Musa became unruly and screamed to attract the attention of his syndicate members, who descended on the operatives.
Uwujaren said they used all manner of weapons that left some of their personnel injured, adding that it took great restraints for the operatives to ignore the unprovoked attack but insisted on arresting the suspect.
He said, “As the team drove away with the suspect, their vehicle was pelted with stones and other dangerous objects that damaged the windshield and three operatives suffered varying degrees of injuries in the process.
“The injured operatives are currently receiving medical attention at the Medical Centre of the Kaduna Zonal Command, while the suspect is in custody, pending the conclusion of the investigation.”
It would be recalled that EFCC teams were similarly attacked during the presidential and national assembly elections, leaving some of its vehicles badly damaged.
Reacting to the incident, Executive Chairman of the Commission, Abdulrasheed Bawa commended the operatives for exercising great restraint under extreme provocation. He however appealed to the public to desist from attacking officers of the Commission as such action would no longer be tolerated.
