ICPC Arrests 9 Persons For Vote Buying In Osun, Ondo, Borno, Akwa Ibom, Others

The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) has arrested nine persons for vote buying in Osun, Ondo, Borno, Akwa Ibom and Sokoto States during the Presidential and National Assembly Elections on Saturday.

Four vote buyers were arrested by the Osun State Office of the ICPC, two persons were arrested by the Sokoto State Office while one person each was arrested by the Ondo, Akwa Ibom and Borno Offices of the anti-graft agency.

The four vote buyers arrested in Osun State are Adewale Teslim, 32 years; Yemi Adebiyi, 42 years; Shake Idris, 36 years, and Emiola Joseph Oluwole, 69 years. The suspects, who are in Osun State Office custody, were found with documents containing lists of names, phone numbers and account details of voters during the election in the State.

Operatives of the Commission retrieved a list of names and phone numbers of voters from Adewale Teslim at Polling Unit 07, Ward 07, Ile Aganna in Olorunda Local Government Area of Osun State.

The officers also recovered a list of people who had voted with their phone numbers and account details from Yemi Adebiyi at Polling Unit 06, Ward 04 at Ikirun Junction, Ikirun while Shake Idris was arrested at Polling Unit 6, Ward 10, Ofatedo area of Osun State with a note book containing over 100 names and account numbers.

The anti-corruption agency also recovered a note book containing a list of voters’ names and account details from Mrs. Afolabi Adijat at Ward 5, Polling Unit 04 of Ansar-ud-deen Mosque area of Olorunda Local Government. The agency’s officers, however, couldn’t arrest Mrs. Afolabi Adijat due to the volatility of the area and insufficient armed personnel.

The Ondo State Office of the ICPC arrested one Mrs. Idowu-Yemi Omolere at Polling Unit 12, Ward 12 behind Dada Estate Police State in connection with the distribution of recharge cards to voters.

The ICPC personnel recovered 24 pieces of N500 recharge cards, a list of voters and their phone numbers as well as a techno phone.

The Borno State Office of the ICPC arrested one Garba Bahausa at the Bulunkutu Ward in possession of four PVCs and the sum of Forty Nine Thousand Naira (N49,000). The suspect distributed the money, food items and 20 wrappers.

In the course of his interrogation, Bahausa confessed that the money was given to him by a lawmaker to distribute to voters.

The Akwa Ibom State Office of the ICPC arrested a woman, Mrs. Idara Umoren, for collating the names and account details of voters suspected to have voted for her preferred candidate.

Umoren was arrested at the Signature Hotel Polling Unit on Plot 48G Line, Ewet Housing Estate, Akwa Ibom.

In Sokoto State, ICPC operatives arrested two persons – Hassan Muhammad and Nafisa Sani – for vote buying at the Rabah Local Government Area of Sokoto.

Hassan Muhammad was caught in possession of signed tickets which were given to voters that voted for his party. The ticket enabled the voters to be given women wrappers and bags of rice. Nafisa Sani was intercepted while giving wrappers to voters at a polling unit in Rabah Local Government Area of Sokoto.

Meanwhile, the Chairman of the ICPC, Prof. Bolaji Owasanoye, SAN, OFR, has commended the officers of the ICPC State Offices and the Headquarters for diligently monitoring the Presidential and National Assembly elections across the Federation, thereby curtailing vote buying by some representatives of political parties.

He directed the State Offices to carry out a detailed investigation of all those arrested for acts of corruption during the election on Saturday.

The Commission, it will be recalled, had on Friday taken into custody one Hassan Ahmad who was in possession of the sum of two million naira cash in both old and new currencies in Bauchi State.

Ahmad was arrested by the Troops of 33 Artillery Brigade Operation Safe Conduct deployed to Alkaleri in Bauchi State and handed over to the Bauchi State Office of the anti-corruption agency.

Meanwhile, the Bauchi State Office of the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) has taken into custody one Hassan Ahmad in possession of the sum of two million naira cash in both old and new currencies amidst the cash crunch being witnessed in the country.

The suspect was arrested on Friday by the Troops of 33 Artillery Brigade Operation Safe Conduct deployed to Alkaleri in Bauchi State and handed over to the Bauchi State Office of the anti-graft agency.

Ahmad was in possession of N900,000 cash in new naira notes and N1.1 million in old naira notes and the funds were being conveyed in a tinted black Hilux vehicle with registration number JMA 85 AZ.

The funds, which were packed in a “Ghana Must Go” bag, comprise six bundles of one thousand naira new notes of N600,000; six bundles of five hundred naira new notes of N300,000, and old two hundred naira notes of N1.1 million.”

The suspect has confessed that the funds were being moved to Gombe State for a politician.

 

Further investigation by the Commission is ongoing.