Rivers Rerun: Police Recovers N111m Bribe from INEC Officials

Nigeria Police has said that it’s Special Investigation Panel on Rivers State rerun elections has recovered N111m from officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

This was disclosed in a tweet by Abayomi Shogunle, the Officer in Charge of Police Public Complaint Rapid Response Unit. He said:

The Chairman of the Investigative Panel, DCP Damian Okoro had, in two letters exclusively obtained by The Nation, revealed that 23 INEC officials have been arrested over bribery allegations.

The Names of the Arrested Officers as Contained in Okoro’s Letter

The names of the officers and present posting are: Ewatade P. Taiwo (Oyo); Aminu Karimu (Oyo); Adedokun Najeem Ayotunde (Oyo); Balogun Funmilayo (Oyo); Agams O. Kadiri (Oyo); Akinwande R. Adesoji (Oyo); Lukeman Olabimpe (Oyo); Tiamiyu R. Arowolo (Oyo); Akinwoye Amodu A (Anambra) and Iro Abali Mba (Anambra).

Others are Enuke Patrick (Anambra); Nwosu Oluchi G. (Anambra); Arukwe Chinelo (Anambra); Henry Owokure (Anambra); Nwoha Yusuf (Anambra); Hussaina Yahaya Tanko (Plateau); Gayus Hassan (Plateau); Ivase Stephen Aondona (Plateau); Abdullahi Ogabo (Plateau); Gwatana Jibril Joseph (Plateau); and Mohammed L. Sittu (Plateau).

I wish to inform you that Mary Tunkoyo, the electoral officer at Emohua LGA and James Ogwuche who served as electoral officer at Ahoada West LGA are also in custody of the panel.

The Money

Governor Nyesom Wike had also approached the Abuja Division of the Federal High Court for an order stopping the probe, one which was denied.

Wike had also accused the panel of being biased.