Femi Gbajabiamila, Speaker of the House of Representatives on Friday, denied ownership of a building in Abuja where engineers suspected to be hackers of the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) machines belonging to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), were found.
The Federal Capital Territory (FCT) police command had arrested a number of suspects who were believed to be involved in the manipulation of the BVAS.
The suspects were apprehended by the police in a sting operation on Ganjes street in the Maitama area of the FCT.
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It was reported that the police had taken the suspects into custody and are investigating the illegal possession and suspected manipulation of the BVAS.
It was also reported that one of the suspects arrested is said to be the Vice President of a company known as Emperor technology.
However, Gbajabiamila denied ownership of the building in a statement issued on Friday, which he personally signed.
The statement was titled ‘For the record: I do not own property on 15 Ganges Street, Maitama, Abuja.’
It read, “A few days ago, while the collation process for the presidential election, which was held on Saturday, 25 February, 2023, was ongoing, social media posts made by some unscrupulous people suggested that some persons were arrested with electoral materials, including the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (machines) and that the property where the purported persons were arrested belongs to me.
“I wish to put it on record that I DO NOT own any property on 15 Ganges Street, Maitama, Abuja. Besides, the Nigeria Police Force has debunked the news via a press release by the Force Public Relations Officer, CSP Olumuyiwa Adejobi.”
Gbajabiamila commended the police for their timely intervention and clarification on the matter.
“I urge the public to disregard the allegation that I own the said property. At a time when fake news gained public attention on social media within the shortest time, it became necessary to issue this press release to set the record straight; else some people among the public would believe such brazen lies spread by purveyors of fake news,” he said.
The Nigeria Police Force (NPF) had in the said statement said the suspected hackers were engineers contracted by INEC.
The video alleged that police had arrested the suspected manipulators of INEC BVAS following a tip off that the location was being used as a base to manipulate the Presidential and National Assembly election results.
It also claimed that the police recovered numerous BVAS machines, several laptops and desktop computers, as well as other materials from the suspects.
However, Force Public Relatioms Officer (FPRO), CSP Olumuyiwa Adejobi, in a press statement, Wednesday, debunked the claims.
“NPF wishes to debunk, in strong terms, the trending news in the media confirming the arrest of some individuals in Maitama, Abuja, with electoral materials and some Bi-Modal Voters Accreditation System (BVAS) machines, by operatives of the NPF.
“Operatives of the NPF Intelligence Bureau (FIB), acting on a tip from residents of an area in Maitama, who reported suspicious activities, visited the location, interviewed the occupants, and conducted a search on the house.
“In the course of the search, some electoral materials and BVAS machines were discovered in their possession. However, INEC when contacted confirmed that the occupants of the house are staff of Emperor Technology, outsourcing engineering services to the INEC, and they were immediately released to go about their lawful business,” the statement read in part.
The spokesperson, however, did not address claims that the residence belonged to the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila.
According to Adejobi, “The Force, while urging well-meaning members of the public to discountenance the false and misconstrued narrative being spread by some sections of the media about the arrest of these individuals and their link with BVAS manipulation, charged reporters and media houses to endeavor to do due diligence and ascertain the veracity of the information in the public space before spreading such to avoid being victims of the “breaking news syndrome.”
Furthermore, “the Nigeria Police urges all and sundry to avoid the creation and spread of misinformation and disinformation which is capable of causing disaffection between the populace and state actors moreso as we are at a critical and sensitive moment in our democracy,” the FPRO added.