The Bauchi State Police Command has arrested 47 persons allegedly parading as operatives of a state-owned security outfit while armed with firearms and other dangerous weapons at polling units in Disina State Constituency.The arrests were made on Saturday during the bye-election in Disina, Shira Local Government Area of the state.
The Police Public Relations Officer, SP Nafiu Habib, disclosed this in a statement issued on Saturday on behalf of the Commissioner of Police.Habib said the suspects were apprehended despite a warning issued by the Command on September 17, on security arrangements for the bye-elections in Disina State Constituency in Shira LGA and Sakwa State Constituency in Zaki LGA.
He recalled that the Command had warned that state-owned security outfits, quasi-security agencies, private guards and vigilante groups were barred from election security duties, stressing that only statutorily recognized agencies under the Inter-Agency Consultative Committee on Election Security, ICCES, are authorized to provide security for the polls.
The PPRO stated that operatives deployed for election duty arrested the suspects within polling units in Disina where they were found with guns, cutlasses and sticks, in contravention of the Electoral Act.
He said the suspects have been taken into custody while the recovered arms and other weapons have been kept as exhibits.
The Commissioner of Police, CP Sani-Omolori Aliyu, condemned the action, describing it as a blatant disregard for lawful directives and an attempt to undermine the electoral process.Aliyu has ordered the transfer of the suspects to the State Criminal Investigation Department, SCID, Bauchi, for discreet investigation and prosecution.
The Command reiterated its commitment to a peaceful and credible bye-election and warned that any individual or group that attempts to disrupt the process will be decisively dealt with.It urged residents to remain law-abiding and to report suspicious activities to the police.
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