OPERATIVES of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) have been attacked by suspected vote buyers in Kaduna.
The operatives, who were on monitoring duty in the state during March 18 Gubernatorial and Houses of Assembly elections, were attacked at School Road, Unguwan Rimi Kaduna.
According to a report by the EFCC spokesperson, Wilson Uwujaren, the operatives were attacked and injured while attempting to arrest a suspected vote buyer.
“The team, working on intelligence on the alleged activities of one Kabiru Musa, who was seen in an amateur video allegedly inducing eligible voters by using his phone to transfer money into their accounts as they cast their votes, had mobilized to the scene to arrest the suspect.
“However, immediately he was accosted by the operatives, Musa became unruly and screamed to attract the attention of his syndicate members, who descended on the operatives, using all manner of weapons that left some of them injured. It took great restraints for the operatives to ignore the unprovoked attack but insist on arresting the suspect,” the EFFC said.
The Commission said the vehicle conveying the operatives was pelted with stones and other dangerous objects that damaged the windshield, and three investigators suffered varying degrees of injuries in the process.
The anti-graft agency said the injured operatives are receiving medical attention at the Medical Centre of the Kaduna Zonal Command while the suspect is in custody, pending the conclusion of the investigation.
The ICIR reported that EFCC teams were similarly attacked during the presidential and national assembly elections.
While reacting to the incident, the Chairman of the Commission, Abdulrasheed Bawa, commended the operatives for exercising great restraint under extreme provocation.
He, however, appealed to members of the public to desist from attacking officers of the Commission as such action would no longer be tolerated.
A reporter with the ICIR
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