News

PDP Accuses INEC of Thump printing Ballot Papers in Borno A Month After Election

Published

2 years ago

March 25, 2023

Ochuwa Ibrahim

PDP Accuses INEC of Thump printing Ballot Papers in Borno A Month After Election

By: Michael Mike

Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate in the Borno Central Senatorial election, Hon. Muhammed Kumaila has alleged that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) are still thump printing ballot papers in its keep barely a month after the election.

Kumaila who said this amounted to destroying and tampering with evidence that would be presented before the Election Petitions Tribunal, alleged that some adhoc staff of the commission in Borno were caught thumb printing and stuffing ballot boxes within the premises of Borno office of INEC in Maiduguri last Wednesday almost a month after the Presidential and National Assembly elections were held.

Addressing journalists in Abuja on Saturday, Kumaila said following the outcome of the National Assembly election, where he lost to the candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Kaka Shehu Lawal, he had filed a petition before the Election Petitions Tribunal sitting in Maiduguri.

He added that he subsequently obtained a court order to inspect materials used for the elections, which he said included the ballot boxes, used and unused ballot papers as well as obtain Certified True Copies of the result and collation sheets among others.

When contacted, Head of Department, Voter Education and Publicity, Abba Liberty, said the issue was beyond him.

“I am not in a position to respond. I think you should contact the Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC). I have restrictions to what I can respond to please. That is the nature of my work and that is my stand”, he stated.

Kumaila, however, disclosed that while his team of lawyers were undertaking the inspection of materials on March 22, 2023, they discovered some INEC ad-hoc staff sorting out, rearranging and counting ballot papers and stuffing them in different ballot boxes in respect of Mafa, Kala Balge and Dikwa Local Governments.

He said: “Our inspectors immediately raised alarm and accordingly reported the incident to the Borno State Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC). They drew the attention of the REC that the actions of the Ad-Hoc staff amount to tampering with evidence. The REC assured our team that the Ad Hoc Staff were only rearranging the documents that were dumped on them by the respective Local Government Electoral Officers who brought the materials from the local governments. Although we were not satisfied with the explanation, we gave them the benefit of the doubt and continued with the inspection.

“To our surprise, by the next day, Thursday March, 23, 2023, our inspectors this time around caught red handed two ad-hoc staff actually thumbprinting ballot papers and stuffing them into ballot boxes for Mafa Local Government right inside the premises of the INEC office in Maiduguri. Our Inspectors immediately arrested the two staff involved in the thumb printing and stuffing of ballot boxes and took them to the Bulumkutu Police Station together with the bundles of ballot papers that were thumb printed and the indelible ink they used.

“We were surprised that no official of the Maiduguri INEC office took interest to accompany our team to the police station in order to ensure the arrest of the ad-hoc staff and undertake investigation of any possible crimes.

“The police officials took the statements of the complainant and the two ad-hoc staff and arrested them. They also invited the Electoral Officer for Mafa Local government who brought the materials to the Maiduguri INEC office from Mafa Local Government to give a statement. Our team was informed by the police at Bulumkutu Police Station to come back the next day so that the case will be transferred to the Maiduguri Criminal Investigation Department (CID) for further investigation and prosecution.”

Kumaila explained that since the ballot and results sheets would serve as evidence in court, any attempt by any official, permanent or adhoc to thumb print or move ballot papers from one ballot box to another after the elections have been concluded amounts to tampering with evidence.

He added: “When our team arrived the police station the next day as requested for the case to be transferred to the CID, the DPO informed our team that the suspects have been released to the officials of the Maiduguri INEC office and the bundle of ballot papers and the indelible ink (Exhibits) have been returned to the INEC office in Maiduguri.

“They opined that the case is not within their jurisdiction and that we should go to the police station at Mafa Local Government to complain, ostensibly forgetting that they had a day earlier informed our team that the case will be transferred to the Maiduguri CID department. The action of the DPO amounts to obstruction of justice and failure to carry out his lawful duty.

“One issue that begs for an answer is who are the INEC officials that the suspects were released to and also collected the bundles of Ballot papers from the Police station and returned to the INEC office? Those INEC officials that collected the ballot papers from the police station and returned them back to the INEC office are as complicit as the Ad-Hoc staff that were caught thumbprinting the ballot papers. It is therefore obvious that the INEC officials and the DPO are involved in suppression, concealing and aiding of crime as well as tampering with evidence.
We have video evidence of the suspects when they were caught thumbprinting the ballot papers.

He urged the Inspector General of Police and the Director General, Department of State security Service (DSS) to immediately direct investigation into this matter with a view to apprehending the culprits and prosecuting them in accordance with the law.

He said the IGP should direct the Borno State Commissioner of Police to arrest the two ad-hoc staff of INEC by names that were caught thumb printing and stuffing ballot boxes in respect of Mafa local government right inside the premises of INEC office in Maiduguri.

He also urged security agencies to investigate the culpability of the INEC officials that caused the release of the suspects and also took back the ballot papers and indelible ink that were handed over to the police as exhibit.

PDP Accuses INEC of Thump printing Ballot Papers in Borno A Month After Election

News

Flash Flooding: Betara Clears Drainages, Gives Relief Materials in Biu

Published

12 hours ago

July 20, 2025

Ochuwa Ibrahim

Flash Flooding: Betara Clears Drainages, Gives Relief Materials in Biu

By: Michael Mike

Member representing Biu, Kwaya Kusar, Bayo, and Shani federal constituency in the House of Representatives, Rt. Hon. Muktar Betara Aliyu has swiftly responded to the devastating flood in his constituency by mobilizing emergency relief efforts to repair damaged areas and provide support to affected residents.

After a sudden flash flood that has hit several wards in Biu local government area, causing significant damage to homes and infrastructure, the lawmaker mobilized people to clear the drainage to forestall future reoccurrence.

He equally dispatched truckloads of relief materials to be shared to people affected by the flood.

The flood which was triggered by heavy rainfall recently, making overflowed bridges and inundated homes in various parts of the Biu.

According to recent of Biu town, Dauda Yusuf: “Rt. Hon. Muktar Betara Aliyu, the federal lawmaker representing Biu, Kwaya Kusar, Bayo, and Shani federal constituency in his usual manner has swiftly responded to the disaster that ravaged parts of Biu.

“He mobilized emergency relief efforts to repair damaged areas and provide support to affected residents.

“We could not have asked for better representative, Betara has always been supportive in all situations, in times of troubles just like this present flood and in times of celebration during Ramadans and many Sallahs, he always found something to give.”

A statement from Betara Youth Team (BYT) at the weekend, read that: “The feedback from the community resident was inspiring, and it is clear that this intervention will have a lasting impact on the lives of those who live there.

“Rt. Hon Muktar Betara Aliyu is committed to continuing to bring the benefits of democracy to his people and he will continue to work tirelessly to improve their lives.”
End

News

Troops repel attempted terrorist infiltration in Monguno, recover arms and supplies

Published

16 hours ago

July 20, 2025

Ochuwa Ibrahim

Troops repel attempted terrorist infiltration in Monguno, recover arms and supplies

By: Zagazola Makama

Troops of Sector 3, Operation Hadin Kai, have repelled an attempted infiltration by terrorists into Monguno town through the Charlie 15 axis in Borno State.

Sources told Zagazola Makama on Sunday that the attempted attack occurred at about 0255 hours on Sunday but was swiftly repelled by alert troops who engaged the insurgents in a firefight.

The source said that during pursuit, the troops observed blood stains along the withdrawal route of the fleeing terrorists, suggesting that some of them may have sustained injuries.

Items recovered from the scene included seven rounds of 7.62mm special ammunition, one PKT machine gun belt, an empty AK-47 rifle magazine, an RPG bomb, spaghetti, and a pair of slippers.

There was no casualty on the side of the troops, and there was no further contact with the terrorists as they retreated into the bush.

Troops repel attempted terrorist infiltration in Monguno, recover arms and supplies

News

Insecurity: ECOWAS Experts Adopt Training Policy for Standby Force

Published

16 hours ago

July 20, 2025

Ochuwa Ibrahim

Insecurity: ECOWAS Experts Adopt Training Policy for Standby Force

By: Michael Mike

Experts from the Economic Community of West African States has adopted a training policy for the region’s Standby force.

The policy details the kind and nature of trainings the Standby force will undergo to be able to fight against growing terrorism in the region.

The region has been under non-state actors’ in the Lake Chad and Sahel regions.

The ECOWAS standby force was activated to address the rising insecurity in the sub-region.

Though the regional body has activated its depot for deployment of soldiers for peace support operations, but the standby force has not yet swung into action.

The regional force, which is expected to comprise 5,000 troops, is part of a broader regional security strategy to curb terrorism and cross-border crimes.

Speaking at the closing of the two-day government experts’ validation meeting on the ECOWAS standby force training policy for peace support operations, Dr. Sani Adamu, Acting Director of Peacekeeping and Regional Security said the region now has a training policy for its Standby force.

Adamu said: “The ECOWAS Commission, as you know, is systematically putting in place processes and procedures to be able to accompany our member states and to also have peace and security in our region to continue to thrive.

“It’s within this context that the ECOWAS Standby force training Policy for Peace Support Operations was elaborated, and the document now before the governmental experts were reviewed, the document was fully reviewed, evaluated, and eventually adopted by all of you.

“What that symbolises is that from today’s henceforth, we have a standing document, a standard document for training of officers that are going for peace support operations.
“As you are all aware, the ECOWAS Commission is at the threshold of actually activating the ECOWAS Standby Force in its kinetic form to be able to fight, you know, against terrorism.

“It’s a scourge that is affecting our member states today, and the last meeting of the authority of Heads of State directed the Commission to actually deploy the ECOWAS Standby Force in its kinetic form to be able to fight this fight.”

Adamu also disclosed that the a meeting of ministers of finance will soon be converging in Abuja to discuss the ways and means of mobilising resources for the Standby Force.

He said: “I want to also disclose to you that the Commission is putting in place processes so as to have the Ministers of Finance as well as Ministers of Peace and Security of the region to converge in Abuja to be able to discuss the modalities, the ways and means of mobilising the technical and financial resources that will allow for the activation of this Standby Force to actually be in place.
“So in the coming weeks, everything will take place, and the internal resources that will be directed that we should mobilise will actually be in place so that we’ll be able to have the Standby Force fully activated and fully, you know, resourced.”

He also added, “It’s also important to say that other processes are in place to see that a robust Standby Force that is capable and also able to confront the menace in the region is the vision of the authority. It’s within that context that this meeting is also taking place to be able to allow for an effective and efficient operational readiness of the Standby Force.
All the contributing countries, have made pledges.”

He stressed: “Already the pledges that we needed, you know, for the activation of the Standby Force in its genitive form were already done. For instance, we have initial numbers, 1,650 were already pledged by our member states, and progressively, you know, the figure will increase to 5,000. So in all of this, ECOWAS is strongly and, you know, standing ready to continue to accompany our member states in this direction.”

Insecurity: ECOWAS Experts Adopt Training Policy for Standby Force