- Nab 18 for ballot box snatching in Oyo
Kemi Olaitan in Ibadan and Yekini Jimoh in Lokoja
The Kogi State Police Command Wednesday paraded 52 notorious suspected political thugs allegedly responsible for electoral violence in the state.
This is coming as the Oyo State Police Command yesterday said it arrested not less than 18 suspects for various electoral offences during last Saturday’s governorship and House of Assembly elections in the state.
Parading all the suspects before journalists at the police headquarters in Lokoja, the state Commissioner of Police, Hakeem Busari, said to ensure a violence-free elections and to clamp down on political thugs, the command adopted a comprehensive crime prevention and directed strategies and operational measures to include the commencement of intensive raids of identified criminal hideouts, black spots and flash points across the state.
Also, the Oyo State Police Command yesterday said it arrested not less than 18 suspects for various electoral offences during last Saturday’s governorship and state House of Assembly elections.
It also said all the 18 suspects would face criminal prosecution after the conclusion of investigation.
The state Commissioner of Police, Mr. Shina Olukolu, who made the disclosure through the Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Mr. Olugbenga Fadeyi, said their offences ranged from ballot box snatching, violence and other related electoral fraud committed in different parts of the state.
Fadeyi, a Superintendent of Police (SP), explained that the suspects, who were being held at the State Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Department (SCIID), were arrested at various polling units, stating that the names of the suspects were still being withheld by the police in order for the ongoing investigation not to be tampered with.
He added that seven guns, 30 live cartridges and some other miscellaneous items were recovered from the suspects, noting that the suspects would soon be transferred to Abuja for further investigation before prosecution in line with the directives from the IG.
According to him, “I can confidently tell you that 18 suspects were arrested in connection with electoral offences during the last governorship and state House of Assembly polls in different parts of the state, and seven guns, 30 live cartridges and some miscellaneous items were recovered from them.
“The SCIID is handling the investigation and the suspects will later be transferred to Abuja for further investigation before prosecution.”
