- Electoral materials recovered, 79 suspects arrested
Moses Okorie
25 corps members of the National Youth Service Corps, NYSC as well as 21 security personnel who participated in the last Saturday’s rerun election in Akwa Ibom have been rescued by officers of the Nigeria Police Force.
According to the police, the victims were kidnapped by political thugs during the rerun election in Essien Udim local government area.
Making this known to newsmen in Uyo, the state capital, the Police Public Relations Officer, CSP Nnudam Fredrick said, “Acting on a distress call that INEC supervisors and ad-hoc staff, security agents attached to Ward 10, Unit 6 were abducted, and the electoral materials seized and diverted to a premises at Ukana Ikot Ntuen in Essien Udim local government area, later identified as the residence of one Ibanga Akpabio”.
Apart from the rescued persons, the police said that electoral materials were also recovered while 79 suspects arrested at the same residence.
The Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) in the state, Mr. Mike Igini had earlier pointed to the disruptions that took place in Ukana West (Ward 11), Units 5, 8, and 9 as well as Ikpe Annang (Ward 5), Unit 12 in Essien Udim local government area.
Despite the uproars, Ekpeyong won the election by beating the current minister of Niger-Delta, Senator Godswill Akpabio by 134,717 to 83,820 votes.
