Eighteen National Youth Service Corps members engaged by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) as adhoc staff were on Saturday abducted while working as adhoc staff in the Presidential and National Assembly elections in Akwa Ibom State.
State Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC), Mr Mike Igini, made his known to newsmen yesterday in Uyo, the state capital.
Igini explained that 10 of the corps members were abducted at Abak Local Government Area, four in Itu LGA, four in Ikono LGA while another set of two corps members were invited to the State Police Command headquarters for questioning over a mixup in election materials.
The commissioner hinted that while some of the kidnapped corps members had since been rescued following intervention by security operatives, the two corps members invited to the state police headquarters were released when he intervened.
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Igini disclosed that in Uruan LGA, a University of Uyo lecturer, Mr Kufre Etuk, escaped death as he was badly bartered with his head broken. Kufre who escaped from the hoodlums reportedly slept in the bush that night until the following morning when he managed to report to INEC.
He further explained that in Ikono LGA materials for 10 out of 11 wards in the area were smashed and destroyed by political thugs.
“In places where there are issues of ballot boxes snatching there will be no result from those areas.
“No result can emanate from any polling unit with issues of stuffing of ballots and snatching.” he stated
Meanwhile, the Akwa Ibom State Police Command has denied knowledge of abduction of any corps members during the conduct of the election in the state.
State Police Public Relations Officer, Mr Odiko MacDon, said “I am not aware of any abduction. There was no abduction. I just spoke with state NYSC coordinator and there is no report of any corps members missing anywhere.
“We have not received any report that they were abducted. While on patrol on Saturday with the commissioner of Police and other service chiefs, we saw some corps members who left their duty posts on the claims that one or two persons were trying to invade their polling unit, we took them back to continue with their work. No corps member was abducted.” he stressed.
