Some hoodlums, on Friday, stormed St Brigid Catholic Church, Imman Thanni Street, Ijeshatedo, Surulere, Lagos, and disrupted the voter registration exercise.
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has fixed July 31 as the deadline for Continuous Voters Registration (CVR) exercise.
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In order to beat the deadline, there has been a rush at registration centres across the nation.
The exercise was about to commence at the church when the hoodlums, said to be about 50 in number, broke in.
They were said to have seized the registration equipment and assaulted some INEC officials. Some persons who tried to resist them were also attacked.
A church member, Mr. Harrison Okorie, said after an announcement on PVC collection on Thursday morning, many persons trooped to the church to register.
“We were asked to tell our neighbours as INEC has put end of this month as the last day for registration. Actually, I did my registration last year, but I brought some people to our Church. While the INEC officials were busy setting up their machines and other working tools to commence work, a group of area boys, some wearing caps and T- Shirts with insignia of the presidential flag bearer of another powerful political party stormed the venue of registration and forcefully took away the machines and other working tools of the INEC officials. Some of the INEC officials and church members were seriously beaten up by the Area boys.
“While the hoodlums were committing the dastardly acts some of them who were armed with dangerous weapons were warning the courageous ones who stayed behind and others who were not able to escape that we should learn lessons from today’s beating and disruption and compare it with what would happen during the 2023 General Elections. One of them who goes by the name Olosho, said they were aware that we are supporting Labour Party Presidential Candidate, Mr Peter Obi, and he wanted us to take the message to Mr Peter Obi and Labour Party.
“He said we should understand that we were strangers in Lagos, and should not dictate to them what they want in the State. While they were beating us, we put up calls to the police, but they didn’t come on time. They came when the hoodlums had finished wreaking havoc. We are appealing to Lagos State commissioner of police, and Commanders of other police formations to help us and retrieve the machine and other work tools of INEC. We also appeal to INEC to give us one more chance. We are surprised that people are still thinking and behaving this way.”
An INEC official who spoke on the condition of anonymity said, ” I envisaged what happened today as the Church is dominated by Ndigbo. I asked them whether there was police protection but they told me that there was a police Station near the place. I was shocked that while the assault and robbery was going on, there was no police on ground. The police came 30 minutes after the hoodlums had gone. Even when the police came, the patrol vehicle was in a deplorable state. It was starting and going off.”
As of press time, people were still stranded and confused whether to go home or wait for the continuation of the exercise.
