Nigeria: three killed in recent assault on Electoral Fee workplace

Nigeria’s police have killed three gunmen whereas repelling an assault on an Electoral Fee workplace in south-eastern Nigeria.

The attackers tried to storm the primary Inec workplace in Owerri, capital of Imo State, police mentioned, on Monday (November 12).

“The Inec headquarters in Owerri was attacked early this morning by gunmen who destroyed a part of the constructing, furnishings and tools,” Michael Abattam, spokesman for the Imo State police instructed AFP.

An alternate of fireside broke out, “three of the attackers had been killed and two had been arrested,” Abattam added.

Nigerians will elect a successor to President Muhammadu Buhari on the finish of February. Buhari, a former military basic, is just not standing for re-election after two phrases in workplace and a file that’s seen as disastrous, with the nation within the grip of a extreme financial disaster and widespread insecurity.

A number of Inec places of work have not too long ago been attacked, significantly within the southeast the place separatist teams are energetic.

Inec spokesman Festus Okoye confirmed the assault in an announcement Monday, saying it was the third such incident in Imo State in two weeks.

The Inec not too long ago warned of the specter of elevated violence throughout the election marketing campaign, including that it had recorded at the least 50 assaults for the reason that train started almost two months in the past.

Though no group has claimed duty for the brand new assault, southeastern Nigeria has seen numerous assaults attributed to the Indigenous Peoples of Biafra (IPOB) motion.

Ipob, which seeks the rebirth of a separate state for the Igbo ethnic group, has repeatedly denied any duty for the violence.

Based on native media, greater than 100 police and different safety personnel have been killed for the reason that starting of final 12 months in focused assaults.