‘How hoodlums held electoral officials hostage in Ogun’

The Presidential and parliamentary elections held last Saturday were not without some drama in Ogun State, many of which began manifesting when results started trickling in from across the 3,210 polling units in the state.

A collation officer for the Presidential poll in Egbado North Local Government, Professor Kemi Fapojuwo, on Monday told stakeholders at the collation centre in Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital, that she was held hostage alongside others for about two hours at Ayetoro, the headquarters of the local government.

Others involved were local government collation officers for the Senate and House of Representatives elections and some the INEC staffers at the council level.

Present at the state collation centre at the INEC office, Magbon, Abeokuta, were the State Collation Officer, Prof Adeola Fuwape; the Resident Electoral Commissioner (INEC), Prof Abdulganiyu Raji,; security chiefs, observers, party agents and newsmen.

Looking traumatised, Fapojuwo, who lectures at the Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta, said the collation exercise had actually started on Saturday night, but some hoodlums, perhaps agitated about what the results could be, held them hostage.

According to her, it took the intervention of security agents, who smuggled them out, to save their lives. Fapojuwo said, “When the exercise started, there was no problem, but in the process, I think they get agitated. At a point, they just held us hostage. It took the intervention of the Area Commander, the Divisional Police Officer and others to save us. They did a wonderful job. I want to commend the security unit; they were fantastic. Thank God that we escaped unhurt, due to their efforts. Our lives were precious to them (security agents).”

However, a police corporal, Sunday Idoko, who was one of the security agents escorting election results from Ipokia to the Ilaro collation centre at Ilaro, headquarters of Yewa South Local Government Area of the state, was not so lucky. He was shot by unknown gunmen on Sunday.

Eko Trust gathered that the incident occurred about 8pm when the gunmen reportedly laid ambush at the Eredo area in Yewa South Local Government and severally shot at the vehicle conveying the results.

The Ogun State police command’s spokesman, Abimbola Oyeyemi, who confirmed the incident, said the election results were intact. He vowed that the hoodlums would be brought to book.

Oyeyemi disclosed that the Commissioner of Police for the state, Ahmed Iliyasu, had directed the Deputy Commissioner of Police in charge of the State Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Department, Wale Abase, to commence investigation into the matter.

The Resident Electoral Commissioner, Professor Abdulganiyu Raji, commended the security operatives.

Raji said, “Every now and then, one of the questions that was recurring while we were doing the sensitisation programmes was that, ‘Can they assure us of our security?’ And I would always put it back to the Commissioner of Police. We held meetings with them and they always assured us of safety of our lives during the elections.

“I want to join her (Fapojuwo) in commending our security operatives, from the Commissioner of Police to those who played personal roles. I have confidence in our security.”