Security Operatives Arrest Suspected Vote Buyer with ₦25.9m in Kaduna

Security agents in Kaduna have arrested a suspected vote buyer found with ₦25,963,000 in cash, hours before Saturday’s August 16 bye-elections in parts of the state.

The suspect, identified as Shehu Aliyu Patangi, was picked up around 3:30 a.m. at a popular hotel along Turunku Road by a joint team of the Nigeria Police Force and the Department of State Services (DSS).

Spokesman for the Kaduna State Police Command, DSP Mansir Hassan, said preliminary findings indicate the money was intended to induce voters and compromise the polls. He added that the suspect has confessed and pleaded for leniency, according to the Command.

The Commissioner of Police, CP Rabiu Muhammad, vowed that the Command would clamp down on anyone attempting to undermine the electoral process. “The suspect was arrested with the said amount, believed to have been earmarked for bribing voters… Anyone found attempting to undermine the electoral process will face the full wrath of the law,” he said.

The Command warned political actors and their supporters against violence, vote buying, thuggery, and other illegal acts, noting credible intelligence about plans by some individuals to instigate unrest.

In response, security personnel have been deployed to polling units, collation centres, and other strategic locations across the state to ensure a peaceful exercise. The police urged residents to come out and vote peacefully, assuring adequate security before, during, and after the elections.

PUNCH