Police arrest 10 for electoral offences in Kano

Police in Kano have arrested 10 people for various electoral offences during the Kano governorship supplementary election. Briefing reporters at the Bompai Police Headquarters yesterday, the Deputy Inspector General of Police (DIG), Anthony Ogbizi, said that the suspects were arrested at various polling units where the elections were held.

According to him, “we made some arrest at the early hours of this morning. I may not be able to give the exact number of the people arrested. I cannot tell you whether they are black or white in terms of identity; but I can tell you that some human beings were arrested and they are detained, being interrogated. They were arrested either found with sticks or in groups. We have arrested more than 10 of them. They are not party officials because you cannot identify them with PDP or APC membership cards.”

Ogbizi also affirmed that there was adequate security arrangement across the state during the exercise, adding that “I think, to me, the security arrangement was quite in order. We did not witness any ugly incident, except minor and isolated incidences which were quickly addressed. Voting went on in all the polling units. The process of collating the result is on, some have now moved to the collation centres and there have not been any protest.”

He dismissed allegation by the PDP that the police compromised during the election, pointing out that “if thugs had occupied any polling unit, certainly INEC would not have been comfortable to bring out their materials to conduct the voting process. Voters that went to vote would not have been able to vote. Again, you know it is a secret ballot, so we do not know which party or candidate the voters are voting for.

“The results have not come yet. Police is never involved in the conduct of the election; we are involved in providing security for the smooth conduct of the election. So, to accuse the police wrongly, I think it is unfair. We should refute that report on social media that some people were killed in Kano. Was the name of anybody killed mentioned? Where are the witnesses? If there are not, then what are you saying?”