ASHENEWS reports that the Inter-Agency Consultative Committee on Election Security (ICCES), led by the Sokoto State Commissioner of Police, CP Muhammed Usaini Gumel have carried out its threat and arrested 10 suspected political thugs in the state.
This online platform recalls that Gumel, during ICCES meeting with political parties at the office of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), last week Thursday, warned that security agencies would raid, and arrest political thugs.
He also warned that since politicians were dissociating themselves from the activities of the thugs, who are seen with various degrees of weapons, if arrested, no politician would be entertained on requests for bail.
“We are calling on all political parties to make sure that your supporters do not carry weapons during campaigns or at your party offices.
“We will arrest those we see bearing weapons at campaigns or party offices, and those will be treated as thugs.
“However, any politician who comes to ask for their bail would be seen to have sponsored them,” Gumel had warned at the meeting.
The Area Commanders and Divisional Police Officers (DPOs), in compliance with CP Gumel’s instruction “embarked on the raids and searches on areas that are prone to harbouring thugs, especially campaign and party offices, as well as residences of some politicians. The move is to ensure that there is no space for thugs to operate in the state,” a statement by the Command’s spokesperson said.
Consequently, “the Police in collaboration with members of ICCES) have escalated top crime prevention actions and so far arrested a syndicate of seven political thugs with dangerous weapons, assorted charms and drugs on February 1, 2023 and another syndicate of three thugs on February 6, 2023.”
“The first syndicate of the seven thugs were arrested at Kangiwa square while the other three were arrested at Hubbare Area. And all the suspects have been arraigned in court and remanded in the correctional facility in Sokoto.”
CP Gumel said that the exercise is a continuous activity, and directed all DPOs to search premises of all campaign and party offices and identified residences of politicians with the habit of breeding thugs.
He further warned political parties to continue to prevail on thier supporters to desist from wielding weapons during campaigns.
