Primaries: IG Raises Electoral Offences Desks Nationwide

•To probe, charge electoral offenders 

•Orders arrest of senatorial aspirant, apprehends 24 political thugs

Kingsley Nwezeh in Abuja

The Inspector-General of Police, Mr Usman Baba, yesterday, approved the establishment of electoral offences desk at the Force Criminal Investigations Department (FCID), and the 36 police commands to investigate and charge offenders in cases emanating from pre-election matters, notably, primaries, conventions and screening of aspirants and candidates in line with the amended Electoral Act 2022.

The desks are to be headed by a Commissioner of Police (CP) and Assistant  Commissioners of Police (ACPs) in the state commands.

A statement by Force Headquarters said, “The mandate of the electoral offences desk officers includes the collation and investigation of all electoral offences/complaints from members of the public or any quarters with a view to determining culpability in line with the amended Electoral Act 2022, and proffering charges before courts of competent jurisdiction for necessary legal action.”

The IG directed the officers in charge of the desks to “commence its activities immediately with some isolated cases recorded during the pre-election activities such as screening, conventions, primaries.”

The police high command stated that in line with the mandate, operatives of the Nigeria Police Force attached to the Keffi Area Command of the Nasarawa State Command, acting on credible and actionable intelligence, arrested 24 suspected political thugs at Minki Suites, along Keffi-Akwanga Road.

The thugs suspected to be loyal to an aspirant at the Nasarawa West Senatorial primaries came into the hotel in a convoy of seven private vehicles.

Items recovered from the arrested suspects included eight pump action guns, two locally made revolver guns,  37 rounds of live cartridges, four bulletproof vests, 27  mobile phones, two pairs of vigilante uniforms, five cutlasses, ten assorted knives, charms and other incriminating objects.

The statement said preliminary investigations revealed that the suspects, who were thugs for hire,  carried out their heinous acts under the guise of being members of the Vigilante Group of Nigeria (VGN).

Consequently, the IG ordered the immediate transfer of the case to the Electoral Offences Desk at the Force Criminal Investigation Department (FCID) and the immediate arrest of the concerned aspirant for necessary investigative actions.

The IG reiterated the commitment of the force to stamping out threats to peaceful and credible elections at all levels even as he vowed to deal decisively with anyone caught engaging in political thuggery.