From Femi Folaranmi, Yenagoa
Hundreds of permanent voters’ cards (PVCs) have been discovered at an uncompleted building on Elebele/AIT road in Bayelsa State.
The PVCs, stashed in a bag, were discovered by the Nigeria Hunters and Forest Security Service during their routine patrol of uncompleted buildings in their neighbourhood as a check to fish out hoodlums.
Assistant Commandant, Bayelsa State chapter, Komoda Komoda, who was part of the team disclosed the hoodlums with the bag containing the PVCs escaped leaving the bag behind, on sighting the hunters.
At the Bayelsa State headquarters of the Independent National Electoral Commission,(INEC), Administrative Secretary, Okop Umobong, while receiving the PVCs, commended the hunters association for bringing the cards to the commission as well as keeping the neighbourhood safe.
Umobong, who assured that the cards would be handed over to the Resident Electoral Commissioner, Alex Hart, promised the commissioner would probe circumstances surrounding how the cards got to the forest.
According to him, INEC investigation would determine whether the PVCS were abandoned in the process of printing or they belonged to genuine voters.
Commandant of the hunters, Moses Okanu, said 320 voters cards were found in the uncompleted building.
“We have been combing the bushes in the nooks and crannies because of the happening we have been hearing in the bushes. We started from Azikoro and went through Elebele.
“In the course of our going round, we ran into an uncompleted building in the bush and we heard some noise with our usual way of operation to ascertain those who were there, the people sighting us started to jump out of the windows of the uncompleted building.
“So, we were able to penetrate into the building and what we saw was the abandoned voters’ cards. So, knowing full well that these are Federal Government property and the only authority empowered or authorised by law to keep custody of these items is INEC, we have to recover them and decided to bring them to the commission,” he said.
