The Osun State Police Command said it would carry out a thorough investigation to unravel the circumstances behind the fire outbreak that destroyed part of the Independent National Electoral Commission office in Ede South Local Government Area on Thursday.
The Command’s Spokesperson, SP Yemisi Opalola, made this known in a statement she issued on Thursday.
Opalola said the state Commissioner of Police has ordered the Area Commander in charge of the area/Divisional Police Officers to carry out thorough investigation into the incident.
She said: “This is to inform the general public that the Osun State Police Command is aware of the case of Arson by yet to be identified person(s) that occurred at the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) office at Ede South Local Government of the State this morning.
“Notwithstanding that the fire incident is minor, the Commissioner of Police, CP Faleye Olaleye, has ordered the Area Commander in charge of the area/Divisional Police Officers to carry out a thorough investigation on the incident to unravel the circumstances that led to inferno.
“Also, the CP has directed the Deputy Commissioner of Police in charge of operations/Area Commanders and the DPOs to emplace maximum security in INEC offices and other critical government infrastructures in the State to avert any further occurrence.”
The News Agency of Nigeria reports that Mr Festus Okoye, INEC National Commissioner and Chairman, Information and Voter Education Committee, had earlier issued a statement that the fire on the Ede INEC office had been reported to the commission’s headquarters.
Okoye said the attention of the Nigeria Police Force and other security and safety agencies had been drawn to the fire incidents recorded on Friday, including the one in Ogun State, and they have commenced investigation.
He said the Commission would equally convene an emergency meeting of the Inter-Agency Consultative Committee on Election Security on Friday to discuss the disturbing trend.
