No fewer than 65 persons were arrested by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on Saturday, March 18, 2023, across the 28 states where governorship and Houses of Assembly elections were conducted, for alleged vote-buying.

20 of the suspects were arrested by EFCC operatives in Ilorin,the Kwara State capital, while 13 suspects were nabbed by operatives on election monitoring duty in Kaduna.

The teams monitoring the polls in Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital arrested 12 people for various offences bordering on inducing voters with money to vote their preferred candidates, while the Uyo Zonal Command arrested four suspected vote buyers in Calabar, the Cross River State capital.

According to a statement issued on Saturday by the EFCC spokesperson, Wilson Uwujaren, the remaining suspects were arrested in Gombe, Sokoto, kebbi, and Niger states.

Uwujaren noted that the suspects arrested in Kaduna were 10 males and 3 females, adding that they were apprehended by the EFCC operatives working on intelligence or chanced upon them during the monitoring exercise.

He noted that a suspect allegedly involved in vote buying was nabbed at School Road, Unguwan Rimi Kaduna.

He said the suspect, who initially resisted arrest, is in custody, pending the conclusion of the investigation.

“Also in Kaduna, the team led by ACE II Esmond Garba arrested one Buhari Muhammed in PU 002 Dogara Yaro Dagari area.

He was arrested with Voter Coupons, which he confessed would be used to trace and pay those who voted for his party.

Furthermore, the team monitoring the voting exercise around LEA Kabala Doki, Kaduna led by CSE Wakilu Omokide also arrested two individuals suspected of vote buying.

“Upon their arrest, a total sum of N67,500, a list containing names of voters with their PVC numbers and their bank account details amongst others, were recovered from them.

Investigation so far revealed that the major  modus operandi of the suspects is to give cash, transfer money, coupons and send recharge cards to eligible voters in order to induce them to vote for their candidates.

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“A search of their persons and phones revealed that most of them had transferred money into the accounts of some voters on the  lists recovered from them,” the EFCC spokesman added.

Uwujaren listed the items recovered from the suspects to include Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs), monies, list containing names and account details of voters, and recharge cards.

He stated that the officers of the Kaduna Command also arrested two persons in Niger State for alleged vote buying.

“The first suspect, one Umar.B. Ibrahim was arrested at Peter Sarki Road polling unit based on an intelligence.

“Upon searching his vehicle, an INEC ID tag (domestic election observer) bearing his name and photograph and also a letter of appointment from BOS ( Bago Support Organisation) as Director Liaison, were uncovered.

On further enquiry, he disclosed that a certain Mr. Usman Mohammed, who belongs to his political party gave him the INEC ID tag,” Uwujaren disclosed.

The EFCC spokesperson said the second suspect, Isa Salihu Bababida, was arrested at Unguwar Nasarawa with several lists of names, account numbers and BVN.

“In Port Harcourt, the election monitoring teams arrested 10 suspects in Port Harcourt alleged to be involved in voter inducement at Moscow Road, Elekahia, Township, Mile 2, Ward 2 polling Unit 2 and 30, Ogbum, Phalga, Port Harcourt.

“The suspects were arrested with A4 papers that had names, telephone and account numbers of persons suspected to be voters,” Uwujaren noted.

He stated that two youths who were alleged to be involved in voter inducement were arrested at Ward 2 Polling Unit 2 and 30, Ogbum, PHALGA in Port Harcourt.

He said the four persons arrested at different locations in Calabar by the team from Uyo Zonal Command, led by CE Binta A. Rano, are currently volunteering their statements at the Criminal Investigation Department, Cross River State Police Command.

The EFCC spokesman disclosed that the team arrested the woman leader of one of the political parties for Ward 11, Calabar South, Cross River State, Esther Asuquo Edem, and two others (Edet Okon Etim and Asanwana Peter Eyo) for alleged vote buying in Calabar.

Uwujaren stated that the woman leader, who had a list of suspected voters, their account numbers, and thousands of naira in cash was apprehended inside an uncompleted building, beside her Ward in Calabar South, while Etim and Eyo were arrested at Ward 12, Unit 11, at Kings Memorial School by Inyang Street, Abasi Obori, Calabar South.

“The duo of Etim and Eyo had with them their own lists and money they allegedly used in buying vote

“The  20 suspects arrested by the Ilorin Zonal Command are Adekunle Ademola, Wasiu Raimi, Laaro Rasheed, Alagbe Taiwo, Boniface Victory, Kayode Toba, Adeoye Adetunji, Lawal Favour, Abidoye Victoria Moradeyo, Magaji Iliasu, Abdulkadir Abdulmumini and Musa Lateef Olasunkanmi.

READ ALSO: Vote buyers attack EFCC operatives in Kaduna

“Others are Marudeen Sadiq, Abogunrin Jimoh Oluwasesan, Funmilayo Lawal, Olawuyi Bolarin, Garuba Ismail, Abiola Abogunrin, Amidu Tiamiyu and Usman Abdulazeez.

They suspects, who were arrested at different polling units across the State, were caught with incriminating items including cash of various sums, notebook containing list of voters names, POS machine, mobile phones and voter cards, among others.

“Upon interrogation, some of the suspects identified themselves as party agents while some admitted distributing money to induce voters,” he said.

The EFCC spokesperson noted that the Gombe Zonal Command, led by ACE Faruk M. Dogondaji, arrested 10 persons for alleged voter inducement and recovered 43 pieces of wrappers and N 1.9 million cash.

“Investigations are still ongoing to determine the culpability of each suspect,” Uwujaren added.

The Star