Ondo INEC fire caused by electrical fault – Police

Peter Dada, Akure

The Ondo State Police Command on Monday said the inferno on the premises of the State’s Headquarters of the Independent National Electoral Commission was caused by an electrical surge.

The fire incident, which happened in the computer section of the INEC, last Thursday evening, destroyed over 5000 card readers meant to be used for the October 10 governorship election.

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Speaking with journalists at the state command headquarters of the police in Akure, the state capital, the state Commissioner of Police, Mr Bolaji Salami, said the insinuation that the fire was caused by saboteurs should be ruled out.

He said, “Investigation into the incident is out. The fire was caused by a faulty electrical connection and all the smart card readers were burnt. The smart cards were kept in two containers on the premises of INEC and the air conditioners were kept on for 24 hours.

“This will put to rest speculations that the fire was caused by saboteurs. If there are other findings, we will let you know. For now, the major cause is faulty electrical connections.

“This report is final from the fire service. They have the authority to investigate fire incidents in Akure.”