Nigeria’s Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has postponed elections in the southern state of Edo to September 28 from September 10 because of security threats, a government official said on Thursday.

Soyebi Solomon, the national commissioner in charge of voters, education and publicity, said after a meeting with police and security agents that a delay “is necessary in view of threats of terrorists activities in Edo State and other states of the federation during the election.”

The decision highlights another security hotspot in Nigeria, which is fighting Islamist militants of Boko Haram in the north and militants in the oil-producing Delta region in the south.

Defenseweb