INEC: System in place to deactivate BVAS device if snatched

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) says it has a system in place to deactivate the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) devices if snatched during elections.

Speaking on Wednesday when he featured on the ‘2023 Verdict’, a programme aired on Channels Television, Lawrence Bayode, deputy director of information and communication technology (ICT), said the device can be deactivated to prevent unauthorised access.

He also said the BVAS cannot be manipulated because it automatically saves data without the operator pushing any button.

“If a BVAS [device] is snatched, we already have a system in place that can deactivate that particular BVAS [device],” he said.

“We deactivate it so that whoever snatches the device will not be able to do anything with the device because the device pushes the accreditation data automatically on its own even without the operator pushing a button. When it is idle, it pushes that accreditation data to the backend.

“If such a thing happens, the PO reports and from the backend, that device is deactivated so that the person who took away that device will not be able to do anything with the device.

“If the PO can’t report immediately, the person who took the device will not be able to do anything with the device.”