The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has reportedly beefed up security around the smart card readers to be used in March 28 and April 11 elections, to avoid a reoccurrence of the hourly-long controversial fire incident at the warehouse of the commission in Abuja on March 14.
The press secretary to INEC Chairman, Kayode Idowu, while speaking to journalists, said the card readers have been moved to a secure location, which is protected from arson, stealing, vandalism or any other effort to disrupt the elections.
“It is not only card readers we are using for these elections. We are using a lot of other materials. We are also using ballot boxes, cubicles, etc. Those are all election materials and they are secured and are well protected. Where they are now, they safe,” said.
He added; “INEC deploys these materials along the lines of structures. We deploy from National headquarters to the state offices. The state offices deploy to council offices. The council offices deploy to the registration area centres, which in turn to the polling units. They cannot be intercepted on the way; they are not sent by post.”
However, sources say the card readers have already been deployed to the 36 states of the federation, but location of the cards is only known to Resident Electoral Commissioners and a few trustworthy staff of the commission.
The fire at the INEC warehouse in March reportedly burnt non-sensitive materials such as envelopes, voter education materials and bags conveying electoral materials to registration areas.
