Elections: Many injured, 8 bikes burnt as Niger communities clash

  Several people have been reportedly injured and eight motorcycles burnt during a clash between Jima and Emiworo communities in Lavun LGA of Niger State over the location of a newly created Polling Unit (PU) by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). A witness, Idris Mohammed, told City & Crime, “What happened was that the […]

 

Several people have been reportedly injured and eight motorcycles burnt during a clash between Jima and Emiworo communities in Lavun LGA of Niger State over the location of a newly created Polling Unit (PU) by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

A witness, Idris Mohammed, told City & Crime, “What happened was that the people of Jima applied for a polling unit to be cited in the community, being the community with the higher population. But when the unit came, it carried the name of the neighbouring village. So, the community that originally requested for the unit agreed that since the name could not be changed, on the day of elections, voting should be done in Jima community that originally made the request while the name that INEC gave the unit be retained. But the people of Emiworo disagreed, saying that voting must be done in their village and the Jima community opposed that. It led to the crisis.”

Other sources told our reporter that elections at the polling unit were immediately stopped and INEC’s ad hoc staff were withdrawn.

When contacted, the Head of Department, Voter Education and Publicity of INEC, Mr Arthur Azape, said the elections were rescheduled for yesterday but that if the communities did not reconcile, the voting would be moved to March 11, when governorship and state assembly elections would be conducted.

members of the Black Axe confraternity.