Man Shot Dead After Destroying BVAS In Kogi

Tragedy struck at Agala-Ogane polling unit in the Anyigba metropolis of Dekina Local Government Area, Kogi East, as a young man, Umoru Iduh was shot dead while attempting to snatch electoral materials.

The incident occurred when voting was about to commence at about 10am.

Eyewitnesses reported that Iduh forcefully took the Biometric Voter Authentication System (BVAS) and smashed it on the ground in an attempt to disrupt the voting process at the polling unit.

Iduh further stood on the equipment and repeatedly jumped on it, aiming to render it unusable.

Abdullahi Danjuma, an eyewitness who was present at the polling unit, recounted the shocking experience saying a man suspected to be a vigilante swiftly intervened, firing at Iduh and ending his life on the spot.

"Umoru emerged suddenly at the polling unit in the morning, took the BVAS and smashed it on the ground. Not satisfied, he stood on it and started jumping on it frequently, for it to scatter to pieces.

"A person, suspected to be a vigilante rushed in from the crowd and fired at him, killing him instantly," Danjuma said.

The late Iduh, who recently expressed interest in vying for chairman position of the Anyigba garage load carrier association, leaves behind a wife and two children.

He was the son of Alhassan Agolo, a well-known youth leader in the town.

As at press time, efforts to obtain a response from the state police command Public Relations Officer (PPRO), William Aya, and other election stakeholders proved unsuccessful as calls and text messages went unanswered.