Department of State Security (DSS) has arrested an official of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in Port Harcourt over alleged extortion of unsuspecting members of the public in the ongoing registration for the Permanent Voters Card, PVC.
Resident Electoral Commissioner, REC, in the state disclosed this Tuesday in a statement signed by Public Affairs Officer of the commission, Geraldine Ekelemu.
“The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in Rivers State can confirm that one of its security guards attached to its Obio/Akpor area office has been arrested by agents of the Department of State Security on allegation of extortion of money from members of the public”, the statement said.
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The commission maintained that it has zero tolerance to acts of extortion by its staffers and would ensure that the security agencies investigate the incident and any other allegations of illegality by its officials to ensure that every infraction is redressed and punished, The Trumpet gathered.
“Members of the public are therefore advised to avoid acts of desperation that could render them vulnerable to fraudsters taking advantage of them.
They are also encouraged to report attempts at extortion to INEC or the security agencies. “All INEC offices in Rivers State are open and attending to potential registrants while registration is also ongoing in designated locations in some wards on a rotational basis”, Geraldine Ekelemu the statement added.
