•Pastor, PDP member beaten in Enugu

•Chime’s billboards destroyed by angry mob

TRAGEDY struck in Epe, a Lagos suburb, on Saturday evening as four persons, believed to be electoral officers deployed to the seaside community to conduct the now postponed election into the National Assembly, drowned in a boat mishap.

The incident, which occurred at Oriba waterside in Epe Creeks, involved one of the 10 boats hired by the Independence National Electoral Commission (INEC) for electoral duties along the coast.

The mishap occurred as the boats were heading back to Epe mainland, following INEC’s cancellation of the election and its subsequent postponement by 48 hours.

The Divisional Police Officer (DPO) for Epe, Mr Bertran Igbe, a Chief Superintendent of Police (CSP), yesterday confirmed the drowning, adding that seven occupants of the boat were rescued while four others were missing.

It was learnt that a top Epe council official, (whose identity had not been disclosed), was among the dead.

The electoral officer for Epe, Mr Tope Aiyelesan, also confirmed the incident, even as he insisted that none of the commission’s officials was among the dead and the missing.

The Chairman of Epe Local Government Area, Mr. Olusegun Agbaje, described the boat mishap as a great loss to the community.

The Olu of Epeland, Oba Shefiu Adewale, told reporters that the incident was shocking. He commiserated with the families of the dead.