Alleged Voter Database Breach: INEC officer detained, Lere Olayinka questioned

The Nigeria Police Force has launched an investigation into the alleged unauthorised access and leakage of sensitive voter information from the database of the Independent National Electoral Commission, leading to the arrest of an INEC official and the interrogation of a media aide to the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike.

Security sources disclosed that operatives of the Force Intelligence Department–Intelligence Response Team (FID-IRT) are investigating allegations of database misuse, cyber-related offences and the unlawful disclosure of classified electoral records.

As part of the probe, an INEC electoral officer, whose identity has not been made public, has been detained, while Lere Olayinka was questioned by investigators at the Police Headquarters in Abuja on Tuesday.

The investigation reportedly followed a petition submitted on behalf of INEC, accusing those involved of criminal conspiracy, cyber intimidation and the unauthorised release of restricted electoral information.

The controversy erupted after Olayinka shared screenshots on social media allegedly 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 after he challenged the outcome of the Nigeria Democratic Congress primary election.

The social media post sparked widespread criticism, 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 incident, INEC denied reports that its Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) database had been hacked, maintaining that the disclosure resulted from the misuse of legitimate internal access credentials by an authorised official.

Investigators reportedly found that the detained electoral officer initiated contact with Olayinka through Facebook Messenger before forwarding voter registration documents via WhatsApp. The documents were allegedly intended to show that Emeka Ike’s voter transfer request had been initiated but had not yet received final approval.

During questioning, Olayinka reportedly told investigators that he had no prior relationship with the INEC official and was unaware that the documents were classified. He maintained that the official never indicated the information was confidential or restricted.

Meanwhile, the Department of State Services has commenced a parallel investigation into the circumstances surrounding the disclosure.

Police authorities are reportedly considering possible charges against both the INEC official and Olayinka, including criminal conspiracy, cyber-related offences, unlawful disclosure of classified information and actions capable of causing a breach of public peace.