By Jeremy Fregene
The Nigeria Police Force has reportedly opened an investigation into the alleged unauthorised access and disclosure of sensitive voter information from the database of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), leading to the detention of an electoral officer and the questioning of a media aide to the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike.
Top police sources confirmed on Wednesday that operatives of the Force Intelligence Department–Intelligence Response Team (FID-IRT) are probing allegations involving database misuse, cyber-related offences and the unlawful dissemination of classified electoral records belonging to INEC.
As part of the ongoing investigation, an INEC official, whose identity has not been made public, has been taken into custody, while Lere Olayinka, media aide to the FCT Minister, was reportedly questioned at the Police Headquarters in Abuja.
The investigation followed a petition reportedly submitted on behalf of INEC, alleging criminal conspiracy, cyber intimidation and the unauthorised release of confidential electoral documents.
The controversy erupted after Olayinka posted screenshots on social media purportedly showing details of a voter registration transfer involving Nollywood actor and politician Emeka Ike from Imo State to the Federal Capital Territory.
The disclosure came amid public debate over Ike’s eligibility to contest a House of Representatives seat in the FCT following his criticism of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) primary process.
The social media post generated widespread reactions, with many Nigerians questioning how the information was obtained and alleging that it could only have originated from INEC’s restricted voter registration database.
Responding to the controversy on Tuesday, INEC denied reports that its Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) database had been hacked or compromised. The commission maintained that the disclosure stemmed from the misuse of legitimate internal access credentials by an authorised official.
Preliminary investigations reportedly revealed that the detained electoral officer initiated contact with Olayinka through Facebook Messenger before forwarding voter registration documents to him via WhatsApp.
The documents were said to have been intended to demonstrate that Emeka Ike’s voter transfer request had recently been initiated and was yet to receive final approval from the commission.
During his interrogation, Olayinka reportedly told investigators that he had no prior relationship with the INEC official and did not know that the documents shared with him were classified.
According to sources familiar with the investigation, he insisted that the electoral officer never indicated that the information was confidential, restricted, or unauthorised for public circulation.
Meanwhile, the Department of State Services (DSS) has reportedly commenced a parallel investigation into the circumstances surrounding the disclosure of the voter records.
Police authorities are said to be examining possible charges including criminal conspiracy, cyber-related offences, unlawful disclosure of classified information, and conduct capable of causing a breach of public peace.
Sources said the outcome of the investigations is expected to determine whether formal charges will be filed in view of the wider implications for the handling and protection of sensitive electoral data by INEC ahead of future elections.