Robbers at the weekend invaded the office of the Lagos State Local Government Election Petitions Tribunal sitting at the Tafawa Balewa and carted away some vital documents.
This invasion foiled the sitting at the tribunal as petitioners and respondents were seen standing in groups discussing the robbery incident.
The Court claimed it lost computers, laptops and a flat screen television, among other items to the invaders.
According to report, the robbery was discovered on Monday morning when members of the tribunal assembled to hear the election petitions slated for the day.
Already, the matter, according to reports, had been reported at the Lion Building police station and is still being investigated.
Also, all the security men who were on duty at the time of the incident had been arrested and were being interrogated at the Lion Building police station.
Confirming the incident, the registrar of the tribunal, Mr Gani Bakare, said the thieves went into the office of the chairman of the tribunal through the back window.
According to him, the bandit smashed the door that linked the court to the chairman’s office and ransacked the whole office.
He added that all the files containing vital documents, as well as exhibits submitted to the tribunal were intact as the burglars could notreach where they were kept.
“There were vital information in the computers that were stolen. I am not suspecting anybody. I have been to the Lion Building to make a statement,” he stated
Meanwhile, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has called for a thorough investigation into the invasion of the Registry of the Local Government Election Petitions Tribunal by burglars who carted away all the exhibits, records and computers in the tribunal’s custody.
The PDP in a statement said “once again, the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) has demonstrated its electoral criminality and this must not be allowed to be covered up like previous ones.”
The PDP is challenging results of the controversial local government election in nine local councils and local government development areas and 18 councillorship seats at the tribunal.
In a release issued on Monday by Zonal Publicity Secretary, the PDP said, “time has come for Nigeria to be saved from these criminals in the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) that are masquerading as democrats,” adding that security agencies must probe the incident.
The statement read: “Our attention has been drawn to last night’s alleged burglary of the registry of the Local Government Election Petitions Tribunal, Tafawa Balewa Square, Lagos, in which all the exhibits and records, computers in the tribunal custody were carted away.
“As a law-abiding party, we are worried that this is happening again as an aftermath of a controversial election conducted by the ACN itself, results of which were never released until after four clear days.
“By this criminal action, what the ACN has simply achieved is to seal the hope of our party in getting justice, having denied us our electoral victory, using the Lagos State Independent Electoral Commission (LASIEC) to rob our candidates of victories.
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