Four persons arrested over stolen election machines

By Okechukwu Nnodim

December 10, 2010 09:09PM

The Murtala Muhammed Airport Police Command, Lagos on Friday arraigned four suspects in connection with the disappearance of 20 Direct Data Capturing (DDC) machines belonging to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

The suspects, which comprises of three males and a female, were apprehended by police detectives who paraded Shasha community, a suburb in Lagos that shares boundary with the tarmac of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA).

"In the early hours of today (Friday), four suspects were arrested by our detectives; who are involved in the stealing of INECs DDC machines," said Moses Onireti, commissioner of police MMIA Command.

"The names of the suspects are Suleiman Isa, male who was arrested at Shasha, Alimosho LGA; Mrs. Sumonu Modupe, who was arrested at 17 Samuel Street Akowonjo; Lawan Lateef, who was arrested at Shasha; and Bamidele Joshua, who was also arrested at Shasha. So far they've all made useful statements to the police."

Explaining that 16 of the 20 gadgets were recovered from the suspects, the police commissioner disclosed that the "vital parts" of the equipment have been removed and four of the INEC DDC machines are yet to be seen.

On how the suspects gained access to the tarmac of the international airport, Mr. Onireti disclosed that though there are certain places at the airport where police officers are restricted from entering, the path in question was a bush path, adding that the suspects must have gone through the bush before getting to the tarmac.

"We learn from mistakes, but the truth is that the police do not gain access into certain areas around the airport, and the place where this incident happened is very close to the bush from where the culprits must have passed through," he said.

"I will describe the stealing of the machines as robbery but as a constructive theft, because what we recovered were empty containers; so the 16 containers recovered were virtually empty and four o f theses machines are still missing."

Victims of circumstance

The female suspect, Mrs. Modupe who was once a cleaner art the airport, said that though her brothers, the other suspects sold the gadgets to one Yemi, who deals in the sales of Computers at Ikeja, they were all "victims of unfortunate circumstance."

According to her, the brother, Lawan stumbled on the gadgets when he went into the bush to defecate, adding that upon discovering laptops and other equipment packed in a bag by unknown persons, he called her and the others.

"They brought it to me and I asked them how did they get it and they told me. I asked them to return it where they got it from, but they refused and said they will sell it at computer village in Ikeja. I refused and asked them that if they cannot return it, they should go and burn it instead of the laptops to cause trouble among them," she said.

"That was the mistake I made, for I did not know it was this much and that they refused my warning and sold it to Yemi who is no where to be found now. They laptops have INEC written on them and they are other information on them which say that the machine belong to the Federal Republic of Nigeria."

The commissioner, however, pleaded with the public to alert the police of any useful information that will lead to the recovery of the other missing gadgets and the vital parts of the ones already recovered, as well as will lead to the arrest of Mr. Yemi.

"The suspects will be charged to court and we want the public to help us with information that will help us further in our search and further investigations," he said.

http://234next.com/csp/cms/sites/Next/Home/5652624-146/four_persons_arrested_over_stolen_election.csp

"The names of the suspects are Suleiman Isa, male who was arrested at Shasha, Alimosho LGA; Mrs. Sumonu Modupe, who was arrested at 17 Samuel Street Akowonjo; Lawan Lateef, who was arrested at Shasha; and Bamidele Joshua, who was also arrested at Shasha. So far they've all made useful statements to the police."

These are still part of the never-do-wells that truncate our democracy.

Fiim trik!

lol !! this woman can lie o o o o

Huu uum

since they recovered empty ddc machine,it is useless,and till they have to look for the remining 4.nigeria police are not alert to their security work.it is a pity that such things occur in the critical of election.

This wan no be story, Abeg tell me something new!

the other day, an insane drove into arik tarmac, no 1 saw/could stop him, the other day, another suspect attacked obj, naw illegal pple gained entrance into the tarmac and stole very heavy object, U come saying 4 were arrested, hw are so sure these pple re not innocent pple used as figure head, E be like say all of una(Reporters/police) don dey craze for yash

ehm ehm , story story

2wenty-eleven: time bomb?

2wenty-eleven: time bomb?

NA WHOA 4 DIS COUNTRY.NA ONLY YORUBA AND HAUSA PEOPLE NAI THIEF DAT MACHINE.

Arresting innocent people and coming up with cock-n-bull stories to cover up for their ineptness huh?. More stories on the way, watch out!!!

This woman's defence is very porous.

The DDC machines were actually stolen by FAAN security operatives that patrol the air field, some of this things are common at the airport where they steal things and dump them at Shasha end of the air field only to go and pick them when the coast is clear. It's possible these four guys actually saw where the DDC were kept by this so called FAAN security operatives who steal and buy stollen items from people at the airport air field,
They actually confessed to this facts that they saw the DDC machines in the bush where it was dumped by this security operatives.
I think we should stop thinking that the four guys were framed to cover up their ineptitude.

Direct Data Capturing Machine has been Captured
LOL

good!

This thing are been handle with little attention. In a country of 150 million people with less than 14% employed by government at all level. No enabling law to promote entrepreneurship, no social service of any kind. The minority who are fortunate to be employed keep on asking for salary increase and those who are not asking are busy stealing directly like the (Dis)Honorable house of assembly members, ministers, the governors down to local govt functionaries.
The results the rest are either touting, Agberos, Ashewos (To redistribute HIV to everybody), Militants, Kidnapping, political thugs etc.
That is not the end of the story the next phrase capturing of DDC, to follow will be adult-napping. This act will be champion by the foot soldiers been breed in the name of graduates of all Nigeria Universities who dose not have hope for tomorrow. If you have ears run for your dear life if you have the means. Fly if you can just get out!

Who are their Sponsors Pls

hehehe Nigeria

Fellow nigerians, lets not all be deceived, those machines were stolen by the powers that be. The people caught 're just moles, they may probably have been paid some cool millions, what a lame and disjointed story. lol lets watch and see if the DDM would ever be found including the so called yemi. Another JOMO GBOMO i think

Otunbakay:

Fellow nigerians, lets not all be deceived, those machines were stolen by the powers that be. The people caught 're just moles, they may probably have been paid some cool millions,  what a lame and disjointed story. lol lets watch and see if the DDM would ever be found including the so called yemi. Another JOMO GBOMO i think

Well let's just say they've actually been paid some millions
But tell me, how would 4 average nigerians who receives like btw 30k and 40k monthly wouldn't fall 4 a deal that'll generate a few millions in a blink, may God help us all, life(i mean naija life) is so unfair 2 humans,

Inec and the Missing DDc Part 1 is otu Part 2 will soon be out, GRAB YOUR COPY NOW !!!

how many ppl were arrested when six inec machines were found in adedibu's house? how many ppl were arrested when a siezed ship disappeared here in nigeria? how many ppl were arrested when bola ige was assasinated?

fela kuti : i want to tell u a storyyyy, no be story oh. i want to tell u a storyy, no be story oh. but weting i be oh oh. ah, i be dance.

nobody stole any machine rather pdp took the machine. they are have done what they want to do to safeguide their 2011.

the nigerian police is another version of nollywood. only nigerian police can arrest a goat thief so i will not be surprise to see these arrested guys turn to cats before the end of this week.

Story! story!

i tire for dis courntry, imagine the billions of naira they gave inec.may God hep us.

A Court barred INEC from importing the DDC machine (as if they knew what would happen) yet INEC still went ahead to import it. Well the wahala is now on INEC's head.

Also I'm of the opinion that we don't even use the DDC machine after they have been recovered this is because this culprits might have studied the DDC the machine which they can go to China and manufacture similar DDC machines which they will use to rig the elections

I don't see the election being free and fair anymore.

GEJ is just a silent snake under the green grass working everything in his favor and would still come out and say He want to organize a free and fair election. Right from the theft of the machine, I see the election as camouflage where ppl wd just waste their time to stand queue at the polling station whereas GEJ has already stuffed the ballot box with vote to his favor.

Free election my ass, He has already been declared the next president. Do u think he would watch and folds is arms loosing to Atiku and Co?? NO No.

Why him never talk abt this on his facebook?? Stupid police, stupid navy, stupid army, stupid air force, the country is just bleeped.

Dora please rebrand 9ja from the Airport to the govt hse.


Buhari is right, our leader got no Vision for us. All country are aiming for 20:20, is this how to aim for 20:20 wen we can't even boost of a free election. Everything abt 9ja is bleeped, just to mention a few.

God Help US the Citizen.

I cried for my dear Nation. I doubt if we can ever grow. lets us all go out and visit some neighboring countries and see how things are been done,until then we will know we are still far far behind in 9ja,its not getting any better and there is no sign it will be better. This is my First time of experiencing uninterrupted power supply which almost made me forget about coming back to Nigeria. I wept for my dear Country.

Nigeria Airport and Nigeria Police, I dey laugh ooooooo

They are not yet serious. This should be a movie- the grande theft. Staring Atifu , GEJ and Atahiru as the main actors.

vislabraye:

They are not yet serious. This should be a movie- the grande theft. Staring Atifu , GEJ and Atahiru as the main actors.

film directed by obj, script written by , (pls complete the tread)

Group claims responsibility for theft of election machines


A group describing themselves as the New Nigeria Patriotic Front, have claimed to be the lack of brains behind the recent theft of election machines in Nigeria.

A number of direct data capture machines belonging to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), and meant for service in the upcoming elections, recently vanished, causing Jega to write a CV - just in case.

In defence of the INEC Chairman, it must be said that he is not a magician, and neither are his commissioners, so it is quite disingenuous for people to blame him for not keeping the machines safe from thievery.

Speculation has been rife over who orchestrated the theft. Some people have sworn to have proof that the machines were stolen to order.

Sources have also claimed that the secret police are working on a lead that involves the chieftains of a certain do-or-die political party.

The New Nigeria Patriotic Front contacted the police via a 'number withheld' phone call to claim responsibility for the deft heist. Due to bad network connection, they had to call back several times.

The group said that they would have come out earlier but had to wait till now because the phone numbers for the police weren't going through,

Source -
http://www.wazobiareport.com/default.aspx/Group-claims-responsibility-for-theft-of-election-machines