Osun 2014: INEC official, driver apprehended with voting materials in Otan Ile

* It was a mistake, not intentional
Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) official and his driver were Friday night apprehended by the community in Otan, Obokun local government of Osun state and handed over to the Police for distributing ballot papers and boxes round some communities in the local government without police escort.
The men were arrested in Otan Ile after alarm was raised by Esa Oke community over suspicious distribution of INEC officials at the mid night.
A top official of the local government who spoke to Daily Trust in a telephone conversation said some youths in Esa Oke noticed the arrival of the men, dropped the boxes and papers without anybody in sight to received them and zoomed off towards Imesi Ile.
This, allegedly prompted over 200 youths and residents of various communities all over communities to begin serious search for the INEC official and the driver and they were finally arrested at about 1.50am on Friday, 8th August, 2014.
The local government official said upon been apprehended the suspects were taken to Ibokun police station where youths insisted that the truck must be opened. When it was eventually opened, it was discovered that it contained loads of ballot papers and boxes.
The INEC official was said to have confessed that he had distributed the materials to about seven wards in the council area.
The state commissioner of police was said to have arrived the Obokun police station at around 3 am where the INEC official was asked to lead them to those wards where the ballot boxes and voters’ cards have been distributed.
Both the official and driver were later handed over to the officials of the Directorate of State Security (DSS) who are reported to be transferring the suspects to the state headquarters in Osogbo.
Reacting to the development, INEC spokesman, Adenike Tadese admitted that the official and the drivers were the commission’s staff but that the materials involved were non-sensitive ones.
“It was a mistake from our part and it was not deliberate. Those materials are non-sensitive ones and the people that were taking them to locations are INEC officials. As a matter of fact, the staff involved is INEC assistant officer”, she said.