By Isaac Aregbesola

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) says its operatives on election monitoring duty were on Saturday attacked at School Road, Unguwan Rimi Kaduna, while attempting to arrest a suspected vote buyer.

The EFCC Spokesperson, Wilson Uwujaren, said this in a statement in Abuja.

“The team, working on intelligence on the alleged activities of one Kabiru Musa who was seen in an  amateur video allegedly inducing eligible voters by using his phone to transfer money into their accounts as they cast their votes, had mobilized to the scene to arrest the suspect.

“However, immediately he was accosted by the operatives, Musa became unruly and screamed to attract the attention of his syndicate members, who descended on the operatives, using all manner of weapons that left some of them injured.

“It took great restraints for the operatives to ignore the unprovoked attack but insisted on arresting the suspect.

“As the team drove away with the suspect, their vehicle was pelted with stones and other dangerous objects that damaged the windshield and three operatives suffered varying degrees of injuries in the process,” he said.

According to him, the injured operatives are currently receiving medical attention at the Medical Centre of the Kaduna Zonal Command, while the suspect is in custody, pending conclusion of the investigation.

He recalled that EFCC teams were similarly attacked during the presidential and national assembly elections, leaving some of its vehicles badly damaged.

He quoted the Chairman of the Commission, Abdulrasheed Bawa as commending the operatives for exercising great restraint under extreme provocation.

Bawa, however, appealed to the public to desist from attacking officers of the Commission as such action would no longer be tolerated.(NAN)