Syndicate nabbed over illegal voter registration in Nasarawa

According to residents of Angwan Waya area of Gudi ward in Akwanga-South state constituency, the syndicate, which network is believed to be wide, has been carrying out the illegal exercise for about two weeks. The villagers alleged that the syndicate is backed by top politicians, who are suspected to have provided the equipment and other […]

According to residents of Angwan Waya area of Gudi ward in Akwanga-South state constituency, the syndicate, which network is believed to be wide, has been carrying out the illegal exercise for about two weeks. The villagers alleged that the syndicate is backed by top politicians, who are suspected to have provided the equipment and other logistics.
Luck, however, ran out on the syndicate Thursday evening when a young man who went to the village square where the registration was going on, sought explanations on why they were conducting such an important national exercise without prior information from the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
Ibrahim Abdulkarim, who spoke with Sunday Trust on the incident, said he had to inform the police in Gudi, an action that led to the arrest of the suspects.
He, however, said a large number of thugs, who were invited to the scene by members of a leading political party stopped the police from arresting all members of the syndicate, except one, whose name was given as Ishaya Galadima.
He added that the police also recovered some equipment, including a laptop used as a DDC machine to capture would-be voters’ data, as well as a thumbprint scanner and some external batteries.  
“The thugs, who stormed the place to stop the police from arresting the people involved in the illegal registration, made away with some equipment which were hidden in the boot of a 504 Peugeot salon car,” Abdulkarim said. He added that he made a formal statement on the matter, first at the Gudi police outpost, and later at the Akwanga divisional police station.
He further said that on Friday, the Divisional Police Officer (DPO) in charge of Akwanga invited him to say what he knew of the illegal permanent voters card registration exercise.
“I explained everything to the DPO. I told him that I went to the spot, pretending that I wanted to be registered. They told me the exercise was for permanent voters’ card. The people claimed they were INEC members of staff,” Abdulkarim said, adding that the police also invited the officer in charge of INEC in Akwanga to the station for explanation.
He, however, alleged that the police released the suspect from detention shortly after he (complainant) left the police station. Yesterday, our reporter learnt that the police were on the trail of two members of the syndicate.
Speaking to Sunday Trust, the state INEC Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC), Ahmad Makama, who confirmed the incident, said the INEC officer went to the police station at his own instance, just as he insisted that the illegal registration exercise was not meant to provide voters with permanent voters cards.
He added that the suspect said he was only collecting data. “Somebody bought some laptops and employed people to start registering would-be voters; but for what purpose I don’t know. This person is not doing it for INEC. He is only entering people’s names in his laptop,” Makama said.
Police Public Relations Officer, Nasarawa State command, confirmed the incident, saying that a suspect was arrested in connection with an illegal voter registration exercise in Akwanga. He said the police moved in after they got information on the illegal exercise.
INEC is yet to schedule the permanent voter registration in Nasarawa State.