Police officer killed as gunmen attack INEC office in Enugu

The office of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in Enugu south LGA has been attacked by gunmen.

Festus Okoye, INEC national commissioner and chairman, information and voter education committee, disclosed this in a statement on Monday.

Chukwuemeka Chukwu, resident electoral commissioner (REC) for Enugu, informed the commission that the facility was attacked around 9:12pm on Sunday.

Okoye said although the security gatehouse of the office was razed, the attackers could not gain access to the main building due to the “rapid response from the police and army personnel”.

He said one of two police officers deployed to protect the facility was killed while another officer sustained injuries and is receiving treatment.

“The State Commissioner of Police and the REC were personally at the scene immediately they received information about the attack,” the statement reads.

“The Commission prays for the repose of the soul of the deceased policeman and the speedy recovery of the injured.

“The attack is being investigated by the security agencies. Furthermore, a meeting of the Inter-Agency Consultative Committee on Election Security (ICCES) in Enugu State co-chaired by the REC and the Commissioner of Police has been convened to discuss the latest incident and design additional strategies of fortifying the offices and protecting the personnel and materials.

“Meanwhile, the destroyed gatehouse will be rebuilt, and the Commission is proceeding with its preparations for the 2023 General Election in Enugu State and the entire country as scheduled.”

The incident comes less than a month after the INEC office in Isu LGA of Imo state was attacked.

Several attacks on INEC facilities across the country, including in Osun, Ogun, and Ebonyi, have been recorded in recent times.