BVAS Taken Away By Police Meant for Repairs, Emptech Technologies Explains

Alleges Atiku’s ex-ADC stage-managed operation, Says IG apologised

Kingsley Nwezeh and Sunday Aborisade in Abuja

Emptech Technologies Nigeria Limited, accused by the Police of allegedly manipulating the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS), has described the allegations against it as false.

The firm, in a statement last night, said the police operation was stage managed by an ex-aide of former vice-president Atiku Abubakar, claiming also that the Inspector General of Police, Usman Alkali Baba, had already apologised to it.

Police  had claimed that their operatives, yesterday evening, swooped on a residential building at No. 15, Ganges Street,  Maitama, Abuja and arrested a gang allegedly specialist in manipulating BVAS, an electronic device designed to read Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) and authenticate voters.

The Police claimed that their men, following a tip off from unidentified sources, invaded the location which they claimed was being used as a base to manipulate last Saturday’s elections, and recovered numerous BVAS machines and several laptops and desktop computers, as well as other technology materials. 

They also said, several suspects were arrested and that security operatives had launched a manhunt for several other suspects involved in the matter, while the arrested suspects were  helping the Police with their investigations.

But in a statement by the  Director, Operations & Innovation of Emptech Technologies Nigeria  Limited, Mr. Selnan Nimyel, the firm said the police operation was stage-managed, and the Inspector General of Police, Usman Alkali Baba, had already apologised to the firm.

“The video clip is absolutely false, the police crafted it to aid the Peoples Democratic Party  to discredit the election and Independent National Electoral Commission. They (Police) went to the office of the company/Factory that supplied and maintains the BVAS at 15 Ganges Street Ministers Hill Maitama Abuja under the pretext that a petition was received against the company and that they are there to search.

“Even without search warrant, they forcefully broke in to the company’s office, arrested the Company’s Managing Director and took some of the old BVAS sent in by INEC for repairs. The police then forcefully left with two of the company’s staff and three BVAS in their cartons. 

“They told the staff that they were being taken to Area 10 FIB office. However, rather than going to the FIB , the police team detoured to a road beside Transcorp Hilton, forced the company staff in a gestapo style to face camera and they refused.

“They, then  open the car booth and ripped the BVAS boxes open and from the blues emerged three video cameramen with Arise TV and AIT tags and started recording feverishly for less than a minute or so and melted into the dark where they came from. 

“The police subsequently closed the back of the vehicle and took them to FIB where they were thoroughly harassed. Afterwards they were taken to the IGP, who was told of their legitimate industry. The IGP peremptorily apologised on behalf of the police for the inadvertent incident and released them.

“It’s now apparent that the whole incident was contrived by AIG AbduYari Lafia, former ADC to Atiku Abubakar to provide fake  ‘evidence’ to validate their desperate preconceived narrative  to discredit the election. 

“AIG Abduyari Lafia formerly ADC to Atiku Abubakar now AIG FIB planned and executed this criminally inciting clip for reason that he was promised to be appointed IGP if Atiku Abubakar succeeds to be president.”