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The Nigeria Police Force has launched an investigation into the alleged unauthorized access and disclosure of sensitive voter information from the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) database, resulting in the arrest of an INEC official and the interrogation of a media aide to the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike.
Security sources disclosed on Wednesday that operatives of the Force Intelligence Department–Intelligence Response Team (FID-IRT) are examining allegations of database misuse, cyber-related offences, and the unlawful release of classified electoral records.
As part of the ongoing probe, an INEC electoral officer, whose identity has not been made public, has been detained, while Lere Olayinka, media aide to the FCT Minister, was questioned on Tuesday at the Police Headquarters in Abuja.
The investigation was reportedly triggered by a petition submitted on behalf of INEC, accusing certain individuals of criminal conspiracy, cyber intimidation, and the unauthorized disclosure of confidential electoral documents.
The controversy emerged after Olayinka posted screenshots on social media purportedly showing details of a voter registration transfer involving Nollywood actor and politician Emeka Ike, who reportedly moved his voter registration 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 election process.
The publication of the documents sparked 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 concerns, INEC on Tuesday dismissed reports that its Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) database had been hacked. The commission maintained that the incident stemmed from the misuse of legitimate access credentials by an authorized staff member rather than an external breach of its system.
Preliminary findings indicate that the detained electoral officer allegedly contacted Olayinka through Facebook Messenger before forwarding voter registration documents to him via WhatsApp. The documents were reportedly intended to demonstrate that Emeka Ike’s voter transfer application had been initiated but had not yet received final approval.
During questioning by investigators, Olayinka reportedly stated that he had no prior relationship with the INEC official and was unaware that the documents were classified. He further maintained that the sender never informed him that the information was confidential or restricted.
Meanwhile, the Department of State Services (DSS) has commenced a separate investigation into the circumstances surrounding the disclosure of the voter records.
Police authorities are reportedly weighing possible charges against both the INEC official and Olayinka, including criminal conspiracy, cyber-related offences, unlawful disclosure of classified information, and actions deemed capable of causing a breach of public peace.
Investigations are ongoing.
