Detectives from the Force Intelligence Department's Intelligence Response Team have detained an official of the Independent National Electoral Commission and questioned Lere Olayinka, the Senior Special Assistant on Social Media to the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, regarding the alleged unauthorized release of a voter registration record.
The investigation was prompted by a petition alleging cyber-related offenses and the unauthorized disclosure of confidential documents containing actor Emeka Ike's personal information, according to police sources who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the matter publicly.
According to sources, the detained official—an INEC electoral officer assigned to the Abuja Municipal Area Council—is being investigated for allegedly disclosing private voter registration details in connection with a political dispute that arose during a party primary election.
Since yesterday, we have been in charge of the Abuja Municipal Area Council's electoral officer.
Additionally, Lere Olayinka, the Federal Capital Territory Minister's Senior Special Assistant on Social Media, was invited and questioned regarding the Emeka Ike issue.
One of the sources told our correspondent that "a top security aide to the INEC chairman petitioned the police over allegations of criminal conspiracy, cyber intimidation, the leaking of classified documents, and conduct likely to breach public peace, all of which are connected to the Emeka Ike case."
The incident started on May 29, 2026, when demonstrators gathered at the INEC office in AMAC, claiming anomalies in an ongoing primary election, according to the security source.
According to the source, the AMAC electoral officer viewed Emeka Ike's information on the INEC portal after the protest. The official then instructed a subordinate to take a screenshot of the applicant's information from the INEC Voter Enrollment Device.
"On May 29, 2026, a group of political actors leading a protest under a political party banner blocked the INEC AMAC office's exit gate with vehicles, acting aggressively and claiming irregularities in an ongoing primary election. This is when the leak happened."
Following the animosity, the AMAC Electoral Officer learned via administrative channels that Emeka Ike was one of the main participants in the violent demonstration.
The well-known Nollywood actor had just lately applied to transfer his voter registration from Imo State, but the commission had not yet given its official approval.
According to the source, Olayinka received the information when the two men connected over Facebook Messenger and then carried on their conversation on WhatsApp.
"Enraged by the blockade of his office, the Electoral Officer ordered a lower-level employee to take a screenshot of the applicant's private information straight off the INEC Voter Enrollment Device rather than adhering to formal procedures.
The FCT minister's spokesperson and the Electoral Officer then had a Facebook Messenger conversation. The classified voter registration paperwork was sent to Wike's assistant during their subsequent WhatsApp conversation, according to the source.
According to a second source, Olayinka claimed in his statement that after he shared recordings of the demonstration on social media, the electoral officer contacted him and expressed dissatisfaction with the protesters' unjust criticism of INEC.
According to the source, Olayinka acknowledged in his statement that he had shared a video of the political demonstration at the AMAC headquarters on his social media accounts.
He clarified that the AMAC Electoral Officer, whom he had never met before, got in touch with him over Facebook Messenger to express his outrage over INEC being intimidated by demonstrators who weren't even properly registered voters in the FCT.
"Olayinka acknowledged that the INEC representative had promised to provide documentation of the temporary voter's card, which was later sent through WhatsApp."
According to the source, after the leaked document caused public attention, the electoral officer deleted parts of the WhatsApp chat.
"The deleted communications were recovered through forensic analysis," the person continued.
According to the source, Olayinka was given administrative bail following questioning, but the electoral officer was still detained.
Upon being contacted, Olayinka acknowledged that he had accepted the offer.
"As a law-abiding citizen, I honored the invitation that I received yesterday," he declared.
However, he declined to comment further on the subject.
On May 30, Olayinka tweeted on X that actor and politician Emeka Ike had just moved his voter registration from Imo State to the Federal Capital Territory, sparking the controversy.
Olayinka questioned Ike's eligibility to run for an Abuja House of Representatives seat in the post, pointing out that the actor had moved his registration to the Federal Capital Territory on May 15, 2026.
Social media users criticized Olayinka for attaching two photos to the post, claiming that the documents included information from INEC's restricted administrative page.
Ike accused Olayinka of disclosing his personal information after the revelation, and he made it clear that he was prepared to take legal action over the purported violation.
Atiku Abubakar, the former vice president, was among those who responded to the incident.
