Gbajabiamila disowns Abuja building housing suspected BVAS hackers

The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila, has publicly disowned a building in Abuja where engineers suspected of hacking the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) machines belonging to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) were found. In a statement he personally signed on Friday, Gbajabiamila denied any ownership of the property located at 15 Ganges Street, Maitama, Abuja.

In his statement, titled “For the record: I do not own property on 15 Ganges Street, Maitama, Abuja,” he addressed recent social media posts that falsely claimed he owned the building where individuals were arrested with electoral materials, including BVAS machines. He emphasized, “I wish to put it on record that I DO NOT own any property on 15 Ganges Street, Maitama, Abuja.” Furthermore, he noted that the Nigeria Police Force had already refuted these claims through a press release issued by the Force Public Relations Officer, CSP Olumuyiwa Adejobi.

Gbajabiamila praised the police for their prompt intervention and clarification regarding the situation. He urged the public to disregard the allegations about his ownership of the property, highlighting the prevalence of fake news on social media. He stated, “At a time when fake news gained public attention on social media within the shortest time, it became necessary to issue this press release to set the record straight; else some people among the public would believe such brazen lies spread by purveyors of fake news.”

In the police statement, CSP Adejobi explained that the suspected hackers were engineers contracted by INEC. He detailed that operatives from the Nigeria Police Force Intelligence Bureau acted on a tip-off from residents who reported suspicious activities at the location. During their investigation, they discovered electoral materials and BVAS machines in the possession of the occupants. However, upon contacting INEC, it was confirmed that the individuals were staff of Emperor Technology, which provides engineering services to the commission, and they were subsequently released to continue their lawful activities.