The number of those killed by Boko Haram extremists during Saturday’s presidential and National Assembly elections has increased to 41.
They included a lawmaker in Gombe State and 25 persons in a Borno State village.
From Miringa village in Borno State comes a report that the Boko Haram terrorists killed 25 persons as they fled from their homes that were set ablaze in the wee hours of the day.
This development was confirmed by the Borno State Governor, Alhaji Kashim Shettima, at a news conference in Maiduguri, the state capital.
Another 14 persons were killed in Gombe State in the course of the election.
Among them was a lawmaker, Umaru Ali.
They were killed in Biri and Dukku villages.
At two polling stations in Birin Bolawa and Birin Fulani, two persons were killed when members of the Boko Haram sect struck.
Meanwhile, from Bauchi State comes a report that unidentified gunmen, suspected to be members of Boko Haram, on Saturday stormed a polling unit in Bagurun Primary School of Darazo Local Government Area, firing gunshots sporadically into the air and forcing voters to scamper for safety.
This was contained in a statement signed by the spokesman of the Bauchi State Police Command, DSP Haruna Mohammed, and made available to newsmen.
The statement said the gunmen arrived at the place in six vehicles and thereafter gathered all election materials and set some of them ablaze.
Mohammed said: “The timely intervention of combined security forces, comprising the Police and Army, forced the suspects to abandon their mission and escape to unknown destination.
“This enabled the electorate to put off the fire and save both the sensitive and non-sensitive materials.
“Normalcy was restored in the area and the electorate continued casting their votes unhindered under tight security.”
Mohammed also confirmed the arrest of a 24-year-old man, Abdul Umar, in possession of a locally made pistol, seen loitering around Katako ward of Warji town in the state.
The statement said Abdullahi Samaila and Nasiru Adamu, also found in possession of 29 permanent voter cards at Marga Primary School Polling Unit of Ganjuwa Local Government Area, were also arrested.
According to the statement, the Smart Card Reader machine of the Independent National Electoral Commission and some election materials at Jauro Gani Village Polling Unit of Alkaleri Local Government Area of the state were snatched by unknown persons.
However, the Community Head of Goro area of Dutse Alhaji in Bwari Area Council of Abuja, Abubakar Bako, said the 2015 elections could turn out to be the country’s best.
Bako, who spoke with the News Agency of Nigeria, said the electorate had shown unparallel zeal to ensure their votes counted.
He said the elections had put an end to voter apathy and complacent toward politics by the people.
He said: “What we are witnessing today in this community is unprecedented and we hope to keep flame burning.
“The turnout is so impressive because since I began participating in elections this has been the most participated.”
Bryan Sims, an international election observer, expressed displeasure on the attitude of some of the electoral officers.
Sims said: “In Abuja city, there were incidences of late delivery of INEC materials and these had caused the delay in the process in some areas.”
He, however, described voters’ calmness to expression of maturity and readiness to nurture the country’s democracy.
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