Nigerian Electoral Commission office set on fire in Ebonyi state

The Nigerian Electoral Commission (INEC) has said its local office was burnt down on Sunday in the southeastern state of Ebony, the third incident in November three months ahead of presidential and parliamentary elections.
“Our Izzi local government office in Iboko was burnt down,” INEC spokesman Festus Okoye said in a statement on Sunday.
Okoye said the attack caused damage including material and many voter cards. No one has been arrested yet for the attack. The attack on Izzi local government office is the third so far this month. Two INEC offices came under attack in Southwest Africa’s most populous country.
Nigerians will head to polls on 25 February next to a successor to President Muhammadu Buhari, who is not standing for re-election after two terms in office.
INEC, Africa News reports, warned of the threat of escalating violence during the election campaign, adding that it had recorded at least 50 attacks since the exercise began nearly two months ago.
Although no group has claimed responsibility for Sunday’s attack, southeast Nigeria has seen a large number of attacks attributed to the Indigenous Peoples’ Movement of Biafra (IPOB).
Nigeria has a long history of election-related unrest and malfeasance. In 2011, more than 800 people were killed in post-election violence in the country.