Ogun by-election: Police arrest INEC officials, others with cash
yarkarkara
The Ogun State Police Command has arrested two individuals identified as officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, among others, with a large sum of money suspected to be intended for vote-buying in Iperu Remo during the Federal Constituency by-election held on Saturday.
The suspects, Toryem Joe-Stans and Mandara Aminat, were apprehended alongside their driver in a Mitsubishi Spacewagon with registration number LAGOS AKD 887 HT at about 12:45 am.
According to the police spokesperson, Omolola Odutola, a patrol team attached to Iperu Remo Division intercepted the vehicle.
She said, “A search of the vehicle led to the recovery of cash sum of two million five hundred thousand naira (N2,500,000) from Mr. Joe-Stans Toryem. During interrogation, he confessed that the money was collected at Kehoy Hotel, Iperu, Ogun State, from a man he referred to as ‘Political Solution’, acting on the directive of his supervisor.”
DAILY POST reports that a video showing the arrest of the two INEC staff, a top politician in Ogun State, and three others with large amounts of money suspected to be for vote-buying in the ongoing Remo Federal Constituency bye-election circulated in the early hours of Saturday.
A voice in the background of the video explained that the INEC official claimed to have been contacted by his constituency supervisor to meet a particular politician at the hotel.
However, the politician in the video immediately distanced himself, saying, “I don’t know anything about this money you’re talking about and I am still waiting for you (the police) to tell me why I am here.”
Odutola stated that the Commissioner of Police, Lanre Ogunlowo, has ordered that the suspects be transferred to the State CID, Eleweran, for immediate and discreet investigation.
She assured members of the public that monitoring of the election is ongoing and that the command will keep the public informed of the outcome of the investigation.
Ogun by-election: Police arrest INEC officials, others with cash
