(JUST IN) BY-ELECTIONS: SECURITY OPERATIVES NAB SUSPECTED VOTE BUYER WITH N25.9M CASH IN KADUNA (PHOTOS)
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By: Sefiu Ajape
Security operatives in Kaduna have arrested a suspected vote buyer with ₦25,963,000 in cash, just hours before Saturday’s by-elections in the state.
The suspect, identified as Shehu Aliyu Patangi, was apprehended at about 3:30 a.m. by a joint team of the Nigeria Police Force and the Department of State Services at a popular hotel along Turunku Road in Kaduna metropolis.
According to the Kaduna State Police Command, preliminary findings indicate that the funds were meant to bribe voters and compromise the credibility of the election.
Police spokesman, DSP Mansir Hassan, confirmed the arrest, stating that the suspect had admitted to the crime and pleaded for leniency.
He quoted the Commissioner of Police, CP Rabiu Muhammad, as saying, “The suspect was arrested with the said amount, believed to have been earmarked for bribing voters.
“He confessed to the crime and begged for mercy. We wish to reiterate that anyone found attempting to undermine the electoral process will face the full wrath of the law.”
The Commissioner further warned that the command would not spare anyone caught engaging in vote buying, thuggery, violence, or any illegal act aimed at subverting the polls.
Meanwhile, the Command issued a warning to political actors and their supporters to refrain from acts of violence or disruptions during the elections.
It disclosed that credible intelligence indicated plans by some politicians to instigate unrest.
In response, security agencies have deployed personnel to polling units, collation centres, and other strategic flashpoints across the state.
“The Command will deal decisively with troublemakers. Anyone, no matter how highly placed, who engages in violence, intimidation, vote buying, or thuggery will be arrested and prosecuted,” the police said in a statement.
The police also assured residents of adequate security before, during, and after the elections, urging citizens to come out and exercise their civic duty peacefully.
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