DETECTIVES from the elite Force Intelligence Department–Intelligence Response Team (FID-IRT) at the Nigeria Police Force Headquarters in Abuja have commenced a high-profile crackdown on individuals allegedly involved in cyber infractions, unauthorised database misuse and the leaking of classified national documents.
According to highly placed security and police sources at the Force Headquarters who spoke exclusively to News Point Nigeria, intelligence operatives have detained the Electoral Officer for the Abuja Municipal Area Council (AMAC), whose identity is being withheld due to ongoing investigations, and extensively questioned Mr. Lere Olayinka, the Senior Special Assistant on Social Media to the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
Sources close to the investigation at the FID-IRT facility in Guzape disclosed that the interrogation and detention followed a formal petition reportedly submitted by a top security aide to the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Professor Joash Amupitan (SAN).
According to the sources, the petition alleged criminal conspiracy, cyber intimidation, leaking of classified documents and conduct capable of breaching public peace.
Investigators traced the controversy to events of May 29, 2026, when a group of political actors, operating under the banner of a political party, allegedly staged a protest at the INEC AMAC office, blocking the facility’s exit gate with vehicles while accusing the commission of irregularities in an ongoing primary election.
Highly placed security sources said that following the confrontation, the AMAC Electoral Officer allegedly discovered through official administrative channels that one of the prominent figures leading the protest, popular Nollywood actor Emeka Ike, had only recently initiated a voter registration transfer from Imo State and that the application had not yet been officially approved by the commission.
According to the sources, the Electoral Officer, reportedly angered by the blockade and accusations directed at INEC, bypassed official procedures and instructed a subordinate staff member to obtain a screenshot of the applicant’s confidential information directly from the INEC Voter Enrollment Device (IVED).
The sources further alleged that the Electoral Officer subsequently initiated contact with Mr. Olayinka through Facebook Messenger. After exchanging telephone numbers, both parties reportedly moved their conversation to WhatsApp, where the voter registration document was allegedly transmitted.
Investigators familiar with the matter told News Point Nigeria that statements obtained under caution from both individuals corroborated the sequence of events under investigation.
According to sources, Olayinka told detectives that he had posted a video of the protest at the AMAC office on his social media platforms. He reportedly stated that the Electoral Officer, whom he had not previously known, contacted him through Facebook Messenger to express frustration over what he described as attempts to blackmail INEC by protesters who were allegedly not validly registered voters in the FCT.
The minister’s aide allegedly admitted that the INEC official promised to provide proof in the form of a temporary voter’s card, which was later sent to him through WhatsApp.
Police findings, according to the sources, indicated that when the leaked information generated significant backlash and controversy on social media, the Electoral Officer allegedly panicked and deleted the WhatsApp conversation between himself and Olayinka in what investigators suspect was an attempt to erase evidence.
However, security sources said digital forensic experts were able to recover the deleted communication logs, which investigators believe establish evidence relating to cyber infractions and the unauthorised sharing of classified documents.
According to the sources, the detained Electoral Officer has accepted responsibility for his actions and is cooperating with investigators. During questioning, he reportedly argued that he never intended for the sensitive information to be published online.
Olayinka, on his part, reportedly maintained that the INEC official did not specifically indicate that the documents transmitted to him were classified.
Following his interrogation, police sources confirmed that Olayinka was granted administrative bail but remains available for further questioning whenever required by investigators.
Despite this, investigators reportedly maintain that evidence gathered so far supports allegations of criminal conspiracy, cyber infractions, unauthorised dissemination of classified documents and conduct capable of causing a breach of public peace.
Meanwhile, INEC on Tuesday acknowledged that its internal audit system had identified the specific user account used to access and release the voter information at the centre of the controversy.
In a statement signed by Mohammed Kudu Haruna, National Commissioner and Chairman of the Information and Voter Education Committee, the commission ruled out any external attack on its information technology infrastructure.
“Preliminary findings from the Commission’s audit trail so far indicate that there was no external breach of the CVR database, no hacking incident, and no unauthorised external access to the Commission’s ICT infrastructure,” the statement said.
“Rather, the information in question was accessed through valid user credentials assigned to personnel participating in the ongoing CVR exercise but released without authority.”
INEC reassured Nigerians that the incident involved only a single voter record and did not compromise the personal information of more than 90 million registered voters nationwide.
The commission also disclosed that the Department of State Services had commenced a parallel investigation into the matter.
According to INEC, it is reviewing all technical and administrative procedures connected to the incident and remains committed to ensuring accountability and appropriate legal action against anyone found culpable.
Sources further disclosed that investigators at the FID-IRT have recommended stringent administrative and legal sanctions against the embattled Electoral Officer and any accomplices as investigations progress toward possible arraignment before a competent court.