Kidnapped INEC ad-hoc staff cry for help from FG

Some of the corps members kidnapped during the conduct of the 2023 state Assembly election in Kogi State have alleged that they have been abandoned by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

The corps members who served as INEC ad hoc staff have therefore, called on the Federal Government to come to their aid as they are suffering.

The Corps members kidnapped during the conduct of the 2023 state Assembly election in Kogi State claim that they lost valuables and experienced personal trauma.

They further noted that INEC has refused to address their issues since the unfortunate incident occurred in March 2023.

According to them, their release was facilitated through the personal efforts of their parents without any contribution from the electoral umpire.

Oricha Bose Blessing, the spokesperson for the group, informed our correspondent that the INEC office in Kogi State suggested that the corps members and their parents should engage the services of a lawyer to write to the INEC headquarters in order for their case to be addressed.

“When we visited the INEC office in Lokoja, they told us to engage a lawyer to write to the headquarters. We were attended to by the administrative staff. The Resident Electoral Commissioner also conveyed the same message during a telephone conversation.

They promised to assist us since we lost valuables such as phones, jewellery, and other personal effects. They even promised to offer us employment. None of these promises have been fulfilled,” she explained.

“We are calling on the Federal Government to come to our aid, as the electoral body has abandoned us to our fate,” she pleaded.

Efforts to reach the Resident Electoral Commissioner or the officer in charge of Voter Education proved unsuccessful, as neither of them answered their calls or responded to the text messages sent to them.

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