Suspected hoodlums on Sunday attacked a Permanent Voter Card (PVC) distribution centre in Okuku, Odo-Otin Local Government Area of Osun State, disrupting the exercise and carting away packs of voter cards

The incident occurred at Oyinlola DC Primary School, Ward 2, where officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) were distributing PVCs to registered voters.

A resident, identified simply as Gbadebo, said the assailants entered the premises and fired shots into the air, causing panic as people fled for safety.

According to him, the hoodlums went straight to where INEC officials had kept the PVCs and made away with several packs of the cards.

“The incident occurred at Oyinlola DC Primary School, Ward 2, Okuku, Osun State, on Sunday. Some of us were there to collect our PVCs, and I can’t say when those hoodlums got into the premises.

“They shot into the air and disrupted the exercise. Some of us fled in different directions, and they went straight to where the INEC staff kept the PVCs and made away with some packs. The hoodlums were about eight in number,” Gbadebo said.

Confirming the incident, the Osun State Police Command said about 10 armed thugs attacked the distribution centre, fired sporadically into the air and stole three packs of PVCs.

Police spokesperson DSP Abiodun Ojelabi said the Commissioner of Police, Ibrahim Gotan, had condemned the attack and ordered a comprehensive investigation to identify, arrest and prosecute those responsible.

The command said tactical and intelligence assets had been deployed, while efforts were ongoing to recover the stolen PVCs.

“The Commissioner of Police… has directed a comprehensive investigation with a view to identifying, arresting and prosecuting all those responsible,” the statement said.

The police urged residents to remain calm and law-abiding and appealed to anyone with credible information that could aid the investigation to report to the nearest police station or contact the command through its emergency lines.