HOURS after fire gutted the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) office in Nwaorieubi, the headquarters of Mbaitoli Local Council of Imo State, the Police have arrested a security man attached to the office. Also detained are two police officers, who were on duty at the time of the fire incident.
Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Mr. Andrew Enwerem, a Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP), disclosed in Owerri that disciplinary measures could be taken against the officers because they did not make effort to put out the fire.
The INEC office, he confirmed, was razed down by fire at about 1 a.m. on Saturday, adding that the security man left the premises without putting off the generating.
According to him, there were other four generators inside the room, with their tanks filled when the inferno that razed down the building and materials inside it started. Enwerem said men of the fire service, who arrived the scene, did not have enough water and other materials to put off the fire.
While the security man was apprehended for negligence of duty, the two cops were detained for their inability to “take immediate action” when the fire started, Enwerem stated.
The Resident Electoral commissioner (REC), in the state, Dr. Gabriel Ada, said the commission was still investigating and counting losses in the issue.
Also, two security men working for a popular fuel station were arrested at the Imo State University (IMSU), Owerri Junction, along Okigwe Road. The PPRO, who confirmed this to The Guardian, added that investigations were still ongoing.
