The Independent National Electoral Commission said on Monday that 1,235 permanent voter cards were snatched by suspected political thugs in Kogi State on Saturday.
The Resident Electoral Commissioner, Olusegun Agbaje, told the News Agency of Nigeria in Lokoja that the thugs snatched the cards during the distribution of the item to registered voters in the state.
Agbaje said the cards were snatched from INEC officials in some polling units in Lokoja, Ankpa and Okene.
Agbaje said that 1,020 cards were snatched by the armed thugs in Lokoja, 140 in Ankpa and 75 in Okene.
He however said that 406 of the cards that were snatched in Lokoja had been recovered and that some arrests had been made.
The resident commissioner also disclosed that the secretary to one of the local government councils in Kogi West Senatorial District was apprehended for dual registration.
According to him, the suspect was detected by officials and vigilant members of the public after the secretary signed and collected the cards in two separate polling units.
Agbaje said the one of the cards was retrieved from local council secretary, adding that his case would be referred to the police for prosecution.
The INEC commissioner said dual registration attracts a penalty of 12 years imprisonment and a fine of N2 million on conviction.
He described the overall exercise in the state as very successful, saying that a total of 1.2 million permanent voter cards were issued out for distribution to registered voters.
Agbaje promised that the issuance of the cards would be continued and advised those who had not collected their cards to do so at INEC office in their local government headquarters.
He said those eligible to vote after the last voter registration exercise in 2011 would be registered from May 28 to June 1 and warned against double registration or registration by proxy.
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