INEC Van Hits Okada Rider, as Youths Disrupt Activities In Niger East Bye-election

Electorates in Shiroro Local Government Area in Niger state East Senatorial District on Saturday went ahead to be accredited despite the 3 hours rain and voted the candidate of their choice even as a Van belonging to Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) on Friday night hit and broke the leg of a villager who was on a motorbike riding home.

DailyTimes Correspondent spoke to the bike man who identified himself as David Barau he said, “I carried my passenger and few minutes after the INEC Van which was on high speed just hit us, and we fell. Unfortunately, he (the passenger Mr. Usman Ismail) broke his leg”.

He informed our Correspondent that after he was hit, INEC refused to take him to the hospital.

It was reliably gathered that Usman was only given N20,000 and was abandoned.

Another eye witnessed Mrs Shekwolo Barau who is a sister to the bike rider said, “till now as I am talking to you, they (INEC) did not even treat my brother or to repair his bike, they they only used bandage to tie his leg.”

INEC Electoral Officer in charge of Shiroro Mr. Moses Arum at INEC office in Kuta confirmed the incident to our Correspondent but owed it to a minor accident.

According to him “my officers arrived Gwada yesterday and went straight to the where the rack were kept. But the youths of Kuta caused serious problems for them and they could not arrange the materials for the elections that night.

“On the young man, we try to take him to the hospital for treatment but they told us they would prefer native treatment and we asked what we can do and we gave them what they demanded which was N20,000.

“They are not fair to us to say that we abandoned him, we had to park our van because his life was more important, we thank God eventually it was not a case of death.

“When I was contacted that some youth tried to disrupt our activities, I quickly drew the attention of the Nigerian Police Force and they hurried got to the place where the rack is and assisted our officers to the Police station that is close to the Collation centre.

“As I am talking to you now, everything is in order, and materials are being distributed to different polling units”.