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Reports of extortion at registration for or collection of permanent voters cards (PVCs) in Rivers State may have attracted detectives who have arrested a suspect.

Just like in the national identify number (NIN) registration and collection that ended up like a bazaar for highest bidders, the PVC matter also attracted allegations of demand for money for service as deadline runs fast.

Operatives of the Department of State Security (DSS) were believed to move in. Soon, news came that some persons were apprehended collecting money to get people registered or attended to.

Tuesday, June 21, 2022, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in the state issued a statement confirming the extortion story.

The Public Affairs Officer in the state, Geraldine Ekelemu, who acted for the Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC), Obo Effanga, confirmed that one of its security guards attached to its Obio/Akpor area office has been arrested by agents of the DSS on allegation of extortion of money from members of the public.

The statement said INEC has a zero-tolerance to acts of extortion by its staff and would ensure that the security agencies investigated this and any other allegations of illegality by its officials to ensure that every infraction is redressed and punished.

The statement added: “Members of the public are therefore advised to avoid acts of desperation that could render them vulnerable to fraudsters taking advantage of them. They are also encouraged to report attempts at extortion to INEC or the security agencies.

“All INEC offices in Rivers State are open and are attending to potential registrants while registration is also ongoing in designated locations in some wards on a rotational basis.”