A former Director of the Department of State Services (DSS), Mike Ejiofor, on Tuesday, said the attacks on offices of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in Imo State were politically motivated.
Gunmen had attacked the INEC facility on Monday killing four persons, including a police officer. The attack was greeted with fear among residents of the state with many worried that the 2023 general elections might be disrupted.
Speaking as a guest on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily a day after the attack, Ejiofor commended the Imo State Police Command for arresting two suspects alive.
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He charged the police authorities to thoroughly grill the suspects with a view to ascertain their sponsors behind the attack.
“I tend to agree with Gov Uzodimma that the attack is political. Some of them operate under the name of IPOB. Recall that IPOB had earlier denied any connection with such attacks and even the sit-at-home. These are just criminal elements serving some political motive,” he said.
“These two arrests, I pray the police handle them well in conjunction with other security agencies to at least debrief them. Let’s know what their intentions are. Who are their sponsors?”
With the general elections in about two months’ time, the ex-DSS director said the attacks are far from being over.
He warned that the attacks would persist until January as Nigerians plan to head to the polls next year.
Ejiofor also attributed the continued attacks to the desperation of politicians who maybe are frustrated by INEC’s measures to curb vote buying, thuggery and rigging.
“Where I am worried actually is that these attacks are going to persist. From our own analysis, it is going to be intensified between now and January.
“As campaigns hot up, we are going to expect more (attacks), but hope is not lost. I believe that the security agencies and intelligence agencies like the DSS at this point must intensify efforts. We should not leave these things to the security agencies alone.
“We need to get the people involved because their purpose is to truncate this process. With the INEC measure being put (in place), you cannot carry ballot boxes anymore. You cannot just do stuff or write figures anymore with the new process,” he added.
