From Romanus Ugwu, Abuja
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has revealed that an auto crash has claimed the lives of three of its staff in Borno State last weekend, leaving five others injured.
INEC, in a statement signed by the National Commissioner and Chairman Information and Voter Education Committee, Barr Festus Okoye, explained that the casualties were travelling to Maiduguri for a special training ahead of the conversion of Voting Points into Polling Units.
‘The Commission has received the sad report of a fatal road accident involving a number of its staff serving in Borno State,’ the statement said.
‘On Sunday April 18, 2021, the Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) for the State, Mohammed Magaji Ibrahim, informed the Commission that an Electoral Officer (EO) and some Assistant Electoral Officers (AEOs) travelling from some Local Government Areas to Maiduguri for a special training ahead of the conversion of Voting Points into Polling Units were involved in the accident.
‘Unfortunately, three staff: Adamu Mohammed (EO, Biu LGA), Abubakar Hamma Joda and Suleiman Umar (AEOs, Damboa LGA) lost their lives while five others sustained injuries. The deceased staff, who were indigenes of Adamawa State, were buried on Monday April 19, 2021, in Yola.
‘The Supervising National Commissioner for Borno, Adamawa and Taraba States, AVM Ahmed Tijjani Mu’azu (rtd), will represent the Commission at their funeral while the injured staff members are receiving treatment in a Specialist Hospital in Maiduguri.
‘It will be recalled that last week, the Commission commenced nationwide train-the-trainers workshop in Abuja involving Heads of Operations Departments drawn from all the States of the Federation and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
‘The training is to be cascaded to State level nationwide ahead of the fieldwork for the physical conversion of the VPs to PUs. The aim` is to conclude the exercise ahead of the resumption of the Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) on June 28, 2021.
‘The three staff died in the course of national assignment. While praying for the repose of their souls, the Commission extends its condolence to their families and wishes the injured staff speedy recovery,’ the statement read.