Vote buying: EFCC operatives arrest 24 suspects, recover N11m in Imo, Bayelsa, Kogi

By Isaac Aregbesola

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC said its operatives deployed for governorship elections in Kogi, Bayelsa and Imo state to check vote buying arrested 14 suspected with over N11m set aside for votes recovered from them on across the three states.

The Commission said the suspected vote buyers were arrested in Otueke, Adawari playgrounds in Bayelsa and at various polling units in Imo and Kogi.

The arrests of the suspects were made possible by intelligence-driven operations that commenced several days before the governorship elections in the three states, spokesperson for EFCC, Dele Oyewale said in a statement in Abuja.

The statement partly reads, “Also, a total sum of N11,040,000, comprising N9,310,00 intercepted from suspected vote buyers and sellers in Bayelsa, and N1,730,000 intercepted from electoral fraud suspects across Imo State, were recovered from them.

“Also, two vehicles were intercepted from the suspects. They will be charged to court as soon as investigations are concluded,” he said.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the commission had earlier deployed its personnel to monitor the Saturday’s governorship elections in the three states.

Oyewale had said in a statement on Friday in Abuja that the aim of the deployment was to prevent politicians and their agents from engaging in vote buying during the elections.

He explained that the exercise was part of the commission’s drive to checkmate electoral fraud and associated financial crimes.