The Nigeria Police Force has expanded its investigation into an alleged voter data leak involving the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), resulting in the arrest of an electoral officer and the interrogation of a media aide to the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike.
The investigation is being handled by operatives of the Force Intelligence Department–Intelligence Response Team (FID-IRT), who are examining allegations of unauthorised access to INEC’s database, cyber-related offences, misuse of official credentials and the disclosure of sensitive electoral records.
Senior police sources confirmed that an INEC electoral officer, whose identity has not been made public, is currently in custody as investigators seek to determine how restricted voter registration records were accessed and circulated outside official channels.
As part of the same investigation, Lere Olayinka, media aide to the FCT Minister, was invited for questioning and interrogated on Tuesday at the Police Headquarters in Abuja. The investigation reportedly originated from a petition submitted on behalf of INEC alleging criminal conspiracy, cyber intimidation and the unlawful disclosure of classified electoral documents.
The controversy began after Olayinka published screenshots on social media purportedly showing details of a voter registration transfer involving actor-turned-politician Emeka Ike.
The documents allegedly showed a transfer of voter registration from Imo State to the Federal Capital Territory. The disclosure came at a time when questions were being raised about Ike’s eligibility to contest a House of Representatives seat in the FCT following his criticism of the Nigeria Democratic Congress primary process.
The publication quickly generated public debate, with many Nigerians questioning how the information was obtained and whether the records originated from INEC’s restricted Continuous Voter Registration database.
The incident soon developed into a major voter data leak controversy, prompting demands for clarification from electoral authorities and security agencies. Responding to the matter, INEC dismissed suggestions that its database had been hacked or breached by external actors. Instead, the commission maintained that preliminary findings pointed to the misuse of legitimate internal access credentials by an authorised official.
According to information uncovered during the investigation, the detained electoral officer allegedly initiated contact with Olayinka through Facebook Messenger before forwarding voter registration documents to him.
Investigators are now seeking to establish whether the transmission of the records violated electoral regulations, data protection laws or criminal statutes relating to classified government information.
During his interrogation, Olayinka reportedly told investigators that he had never previously met or interacted with the INEC official involved in the case.
Sources familiar with the questioning said he insisted he was unaware that the documents sent to him were classified or restricted.
He reportedly informed investigators that the electoral officer never indicated that the information was confidential and did not warn him against making it public.
The growing voter data leak investigation has also attracted the attention of the Department of State Services, which has launched a parallel inquiry into the circumstances surrounding the disclosure of the voter records.
Security agencies are expected to compare findings as investigators work to establish how the information moved from INEC’s internal system into the public domain.
Police sources disclosed that authorities are considering several possible charges against both the detained electoral officer and Olayinka. Among the offences under review are criminal conspiracy, cyber-related offences, unlawful disclosure of classified information and conduct capable of causing a breach of public peace.
As investigations continue, the voter data leak case is raising broader concerns about access controls within electoral institutions, the handling of sensitive voter information and the safeguards protecting Nigeria’s electoral database. The outcome of the investigation is expected to determine whether the incident resulted from individual misconduct, procedural failures or wider vulnerabilities within the management of electoral records.
