Security operatives in Kaduna have arrested a man allegedly attempting to buy votes with ₦25,963,000 in cash, just hours before Saturday’s bye-elections in parts of the state.
The suspect, identified as Shehu Aliyu Patangi, was apprehended around 3:30 a.m. at a popular hotel along Turunku Road in Kaduna metropolis by a joint team of the Nigeria Police Force and the Department of State Services (DSS).
Confirming the arrest, Kaduna State Police Command spokesperson, DSP Mansir Hassan, said preliminary investigations revealed the cash was meant to induce voters and compromise the credibility of the electoral process.
“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,” Hassan quoted the Commissioner of Police, CP Rabiu Muhammad, as saying.
The Police Commissioner warned that anyone caught engaging in electoral malpractices, including vote buying, thuggery, or violence, would face the full weight of the law.
In a statement, the Command further cautioned political actors and their supporters against attempts to disrupt the polls, disclosing that intelligence reports indicated plans by some politicians to instigate unrest.
To forestall violence, security agencies have been deployed to polling units, collation centres, and other flashpoints across Kaduna.
“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 statement read.
Police authorities assured residents of adequate security before, during, and after the elections, urging citizens to come out peacefully to exercise their civic rights.
