
Feb 8, 2017 – Governor Wike Gave Corrupt INEC Officials N360Million Bribe – Rivers State Police
- Rivers State Police command said yesterday that they recovered N111.3 million from 23 INEC officialswho conducted the December 10, 2016 rerun in Rivers State.
- The cash, they claimed, is part of the N360 million bribe allegedly paid by Governor Nyesom Wike to compromise electoral and security officials for his party’s candidates to win.
- The unnamed officials have been indicted for their involvement in the violence that occurred during the election, the police said.
Six policemen indicted for their role during the election have been dismissed. They are to be prosecuted.
This is part of the report of the Joint Investigation Panel constituted by Inspector General of Police (IGP) Ibrahim Idris on December 22, 2016, to probe the violence that led to the killing of two policemen during the election.
The report was submitted to the IG at the Force Headquarters in Abuja yesterday.
The 12-member panel comprises nine policemen and three Department of State Services (DSS) personnel.
It was mandated to investigate the various infractions, incidents, and violence that marred the rerun.
The panel attributed the violence to lawlessness and leadership failure.
The chairman of the panel, Damian Okoro, a Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP), said N111.3 million was recovered from 23 INEC officers. He said three senior electoral officers collected N20 million each of the N360 million allegedly given to them by Wike. The remaining officers received N15 million each.
Okoro said the committee established “cases of misconduct on the part of some electoral officers and law enforcement agents who, unfortunately, allowed themselves to be compromised in their line of duties and deserve to be disciplined appropriately.”
He added that “the task given to the panel was quite challenging because of the tense political and security situation in the state, especially the prevalence of violent crimes, such as armed robbery, kidnapping, and politically motivated killings, by militant and culture groups that enjoy the funding and protection of desperate politicians.
Wike
“These lawless elements target not only the political opponents of their sponsors but also law enforcement agents, especially the police, mostly within the Ogba/Ndoni/Egbema Local Government Area, which is the axis of evil of cultism.
“The violence that occurred in Rivers State, before during and after the rerun was a reflection of lawlessness and leadership failure of narrow-minded politicians and their gullible supporters.
[The Nation]
Bok
February 8, 2017 at 6:35 AM
so all the people that were bribed did not spend a cent from the money. Amaechi is really fighting this guy.
Endurance
February 8, 2017 at 6:58 AM
Both PDP and APC parties are corrupt. None is free from electoral fraud and malpractices. The election that brought the sitting APC governor of Edo state to power was seriously marred by alligation of bribery and corruption which was never looked into or investigated. APC led-government should take the lead in bringing its own party members under serious scrutiny and investigate the alligation of bribery and fraud that seriously undermined the electoral process of EDO state and others. Governor Wike bribery and corruption is no way justified but it would be fractional and sectional to investigate the opposition party while APC party governorship that were alleged with alligation of electoral fraud are left without any meaningful investigation. Again, both APC and PDP parties are corrupt !
Jilo
February 8, 2017 at 4:44 PM
The best judgement is to impeach this governor because all evidences has been established by the law enforcement. If this governor gets away with this crime, he is going to continue using his position to oppress and kill the innocent people. The people who lost their life’s including two law enforcement officers who died during the crisis have the same right as this governor.
We are getting more sophisticated in crime everyday and nothing is done to stop it and we want to shift the blame on one person. If Bihari is removed from office today, I don’t think that will solve our problems. The problem we are creating among ourselves is greater than what Boko Haram is subjecting us to. Our major issue now is law and order. Economic is among but that is not a major problem but lawlessness. There is no law in this Country. Everybody does whatever he/she likes then couple with corruption, that means we are doom as a nation. If criminals realize there is no hiding place for them, the rate of corruption will greatly reduce and our economy will improve.