INEC Office Burgled, 1,388 Data Machines Stolen

Some items involving 1,388 Direct Data Capturing Machines (DDCMs) kept at the Central Store of the Lagos office of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) have been stolen.

Also missing are a number of computer batteries and internal hard disks the commission used during the registration of voters in the state in January this year.
Disclosing the theft of the items Tuesday in a press statement, the Chief Press Secretary to the INEC Chairman, Mr. Kayode Idowu, said of the 9,450 DDCMs allocated to the state for the voter registration in January/February, this year, 1,388 had been discovered missing.

Idowu also said besides the outright theft of the machines, the internal hard disks of 2,986 others had equally been stolen, “while 644 DDCM batteries are missing”.

He said: “Indications of the theft were first noticed on October 16, 2011, while the quantity of items involved was determined through an in-house audit concluded on October 24, 2011.

“Considering the volume, the theft might have taken place unnoticed over a slightly drawn-out period. The incident has been reported to security agencies for investigation and apprehension of the culprits, as well as possible recovery of the stolen items.”

He lamented that: “INEC is making this unfortunate incident public in line with its principle of transparency and resolve to be upfront with the public on issues pertaining to its operations.

“The commission hereby allays all fears over the safety of data gathered with the stolen items, as these data remain secure in its data bank. The hard disks have secure back-ups. Besides, all the data have been integrated in the Lagos State INEC servers as well as the servers at the national level.

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