On the heels of the just concluded federal elections, the Nigeria Police Force has debunked reports on the arrest of some individuals in Maitama, Abuja, with electoral materials and some Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) machines by its operatives.

The Force Public Relations Officer, CSP Olumuyiwa Adejobi, in a statement on Wednesday, confirmed that operatives of the Force Intelligence Bureau (FIB) had acted on a tip from residents of an area in Maitama who reported suspicious activities.

Adejobi noted that the team visited the location, interviewed the occupants, and conducted a search on the house, adding that in the course of the search, some electoral materials and BVAS machines were discovered in their possession.

“However, the Independent National Electoral Commission, 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.

The Force urged well-meaning members of the public to discountenance the “false and misconstrued” narrative propagated by what it described as some sections of the media about the arrest of these individuals and their link with BVAS manipulation.

According to Adejobi, reporters and media houses should endeavour to do due diligence and ascertain the veracity of the information on the public space before spreading such to avoid being victims of the “breaking news syndrome”.

The statement added, “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 more so as we are at a critical and sensitive moment in our democracy.” (Channels TV)