No INEC officials were detained on Friday in connection with the state’s ongoing Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) initiative, the Police Command in Lagos State reported on Saturday.
This was confirmed by the command’s spokesman, SP Benjamin Hundeyin, on Saturday in response to the event.
On Friday, some online news sources said that thugs had broken into the INEC CVR center at the Surulere location of St. Bridget Catholic Church and stolen INEC enrolment devices.
Hundeyin, however, emphasized that the DPO, police division in Ijeshatedo, sprang into action and took the INEC officials and materials to the station after receiving information that certain INEC officials were present in a church.
He claimed that in order to prevent a breakdown of law and order, the DPO made the decision to invite the local officials and other people to the station because the church was not suitable for such an investigation.
The spokesperson said that the DPO’s findings revealed an address location mix-up, and he asked the INEC officials to go to the proper address.
The police, not hoodlums as suggested on social media, carried INEC papers and personnel out of the chapel, Hundeyin noted.
“The INEC officials were assigned to Imam Thani Street, by House No. 9A for the exercise. They were, however, found within the church premises. Residents raised concerns and informed the police.
“Preliminary findings show that a resident of the area who volunteered to transport the officials from their office to the center, was responsible for the mix-up, deliberate or not, further investigation will reveal.
“Meanwhile, the officials were immediately released to proceed to the correct center to continue their assignment,” he said.
