Police denies reports of arrests of BVAS syndicate in Abuja, says persons found with the machines have been identified as INEC engineers

The Nigeria Police Force has denied reports of arresting some persons for being in possession of BVAS machines in the Maitama area of Abuja . AriseTV had reported that those arrested were helping police in their investigations.

However, in a statement released, the spokesperson of the police force, CSP Olumuyiwa Adejobi, said the Force ‘’wishes to debunk, in strong terms, the trending news in the media confirming the arrest of some individuals in Maitama, Abuja, with electoral materials and some Bi-Modal Voters Accreditation System (BVAS) machines, by operatives of the Nigeria Police Force”.

Adejobi said operatives of the Nigeria Police Force Intelligence Bureau (FIB), acting on a tip from residents of an area in Maitama who reported suspicious activities, visited the location, interviewed the occupants, and conducted a search on the house.

‘’In the course of the search, some electoral materials and BVAS machines were discovered in their possession. However, the Independent National Electoral Commission, when contacted, confirmed that the occupants of the house are staff of Emperor Technology, outsourcing engineering services to the INEC, and they were immediately released to go about their lawful business. 

The Force, while urging well-meaning members of the public to discountenance the false and misconstrued narrative being spread by some sections of the media about the arrest of these individuals and their link with BVAS manipulation, charged reporters and media houses to endeavor to do due diligence and ascertain the veracity of the information on the public space before spreading such to avoid being victims of the “breaking news syndrome” Adejobi said

The police urged all and sundry to avoid the creation and spread of misinformation and disinformation which is capable of causing disaffection between the populace and state actors more so as we are at a critical and sensitive moment in our democracy.