Laide Raheem, Abeokuta
Suspected arsonists have on Thursday morning set an office of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) at Iyana Mortuary area of Abeokuta metropolis, the Ogun State capital, one fire.
The perpetrators said to be hoodlums and numbering about eight had scaled the perimeter fence of the office, jumped into the premises and set the building on fire from the back.
They were reported to have soaked loaves of bread with petrol and threw same into the building at different angles to light up the INEC office.
The security guard at the facility, Azeez Hamzat, our correspondent learnt, had made a distress call to the police around 1a.m, saying the facility was on fire.
The police from Ibara Division were said to have mobilized detectives to the scene, while contacting fire fighters, who raced to the scene to put out the fire.
It was gathered that the store, the Registration Area Officer’s office and the conference room were affected by the inferno.
A source also told our correspondent that non-sensitive materials were also affected by the fire.
No life was said to be lost and no injury was sustained in the incident.
Meanwhile, the Ogun INEC Resident Electoral Commissioner, Niyi Ijalaye, has confirmed the incident, describing it as shocking.
“It is correct that our office was set on fire. The police are investigating. I do not know what to say. I’m in shock myself. We called the police and other security agencies at night. The fire brigade put the situation under control. The level of damage is still being assessed.
“It is very shocking and untoward. The security agencies are doing their very best. We are meeting again later today to come up with other strategies (toward securing our facilities),” Ijalaye said.
The Ogun State Police Public Relations Officer, Abimbola Oyeyemi, could not be reached for comments on the incident as at the time of filing this report.