Hoodlums have stormed Akate ward in Donga local government council of Taraba State and destroyed voting materials such as Bimodal Voters Accreditation System, ballot papers, among others.
Accreditation and voting scheduled to commence at about 8 am, were disrupted by hoodlums who attacked polling units spread across the ward.
Gunshots from the hoodlums, who were heavily armed, rang sporadically in the area to prevent the electorates from coming out to vote.
Although the hoodlums were said to have been repelled by security operatives, the electorate who were trying to exercise their franchise in today’s governorship and state House of Assembly elections in the ward were frustrated.
Speaking with the media, an Independent National Electoral Commission, ad-hoc staff member vowed to withdraw from participating in the exercise, stating that “our security is not even guaranteed.”
At the time of filing this report, voting in the 29 polling units of the ward has been put on hold as tension and apprehension have enveloped the area and the council.
An eyewitness, James Chimin, said the hoodlums succeeded in carrying out their nefarious act before the arrival of security operatives, as he expressed sadness that the much-promised protection by security operatives turned out to be a mirage.
Some of the electoral staff said, “for now, we don’t see any election taking place in this ward.”
They urged the authority concerned to wade in by putting all the desired security in the polling units across Donga and the state at large.”
