SOME suspected ballot box snatchers have reportedly been shot dead in Gboko Local Government Area of Benue State on Saturday, March 18, while voting was in progress.
It was gathered that the thugs invaded polling units 026 and 004 in Gboko South at about 11am and attempted to snatch ballot boxes and the Bimodal Voters Accreditation System (BVAS), in the full glare of voters.
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An eye-witness, Moses Agure-Dam, who confirmed the development to DAILY POST, said three thugs were gunned down by military officers, but some other accounts say only two persons were killed.
“The thugs invaded the polling units and disrupted the election. They were three in number. One snatched the BVAS, while others snatched ballot boxes but they didn’t not succeed,” Agure-Dam reportedly informed the newspaper.
One allegedly shot dead for attempting to cart away ballot boxes
Time: 1:45pm
State: Benue
Senatorial District: Benue Northwest
LGA: Gboko South
Polling Unit: 026 and 004#NigeriaElections2023 #NigeriaDecides2023 #ICIRElectionReports pic.twitter.com/PxUtCyWRKc
— The ICIR (@TheICIR) March 18, 2023
In a video seen on twitter, which was allegedly taken at the scene, a young man wearing a black tee-shirt matched with blue jean trousers, was seen lying motionless on the ground with soldiers gathered around him, with other spectators in the background.
A male voice could also be heard in the video shouting, “God bless the Nigerian Army. No weapon fashioned against you shall prosper.”
By the time of filing this report, neither the police nor Army had issued any official statement about the incident, nor confirmed the number of casualties.
However, normalcy has since returned to the area and voting activities have resumed.
