Security operatives in Kaduna State have arrested a suspected vote buyer, Shehu Aliyu Patangi, with cash totalling ₦25,963,000 barely hours before the commencement of Saturday’s by-elections.
The suspect was apprehended at about 3:30 a.m. on Saturday by operatives of the Nigeria Police Force in collaboration with the Department of State Services (DSS) at a popular hotel along Turunku Road in Kaduna metropolis.
According to the Kaduna State Police Command, preliminary investigations revealed that the huge cash was meant to induce voters and compromise the integrity of the electoral process.
Police spokesman, DSP Mansir Hassan, confirmed the arrest, adding that the suspect had already confessed to the crime and pleaded for leniency.
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Quoting the Commissioner of Police, CP Rabiu Muhammad, the Command said:
“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 Command also warned political actors and their supporters against vote buying, thuggery, violence, or any illegal act that could disrupt the polls.
It disclosed that credible intelligence had revealed plans by some politicians to instigate unrest. In response, security agencies have deployed personnel to polling units, collation centres, and other strategic locations across the state.
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“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 added.
The police further assured residents of adequate security before, during, and after the elections, urging citizens to come out en masse and exercise their civic responsibility peacefully
