Friday, 29th March 2024
To guardian.ng
Search

23 suspected political thugs, female sponsor in police net

By Murtala Muhammed, Kano
26 February 2015   |   5:13 pm
• 340 stolen PVCs allegedly  found in their possession KANO State Police command has arrested 23 suspected political thugs and one Hajia Aisha Maijama, a purported sponsor, while planning to launch mayhem on their political opponents in the state.    According to the police, the political thugs were apprehended at Tudun Wada Local Council, a…

Thugs

• 340 stolen PVCs allegedly  found in their possession

KANO State Police command has arrested 23 suspected political thugs and one Hajia Aisha Maijama, a purported sponsor, while planning to launch mayhem on their political opponents in the state.

   According to the police, the political thugs were apprehended at Tudun Wada Local Council, a suburb of Kano with dangerous weapons and illicit drugs.

   Besides, the police disclosed that five persons have also been detained in connection with 340 INEC Permanent Voter’s Cards (PVC) found in their possession. 

   The Commissioner of Police, Ibrahim Idris, told journalists at a press briefing that the police intelligence unit has since launched surveillance on the activities of political parties and several cases of violence, which led to the killing, recently, of a popular politician in the state.

   The commissioner noted that the police went into intelligence gathering and investigation, which led to the discovery of 23 thugs at Tudun Wada area, where they were preparing their weapons to carry out another dangerous attack.   

   He said after the arrest, further investigations led to the arrest of Aisha Maijama, who allegedly masterminded several operations of the political thugs in the past.

   “In the course of our investigation, we found out that a lady was fingered to have been responsible for assembling those thugs and providing them with dangerous weapons, with the sole aim of causing mayhem against their opponent. 

   “We arrested all of them and we will soon charge them to court,” the CP said.

   Although the CP did not mention specifically the political party the thugs belong, but most of them that were paraded wore the campaign attire of a Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate contesting for the Senate.

   However, the alleged sponsor of the thugs, Aisha Maijama, who identified herself as a PDP stalwart in Kano, told journalists that her arrest was politically motivated. 

   She said she was at the police headquarters to solicit the release of her members who were apprehended by the police.

   “I believe the whole plan was politically motivated. I know these boys, they are our sons and I leant they were arrested at my local government. That was why I am here to solicit their release. Suddenly, they told me I am responsible for the attack,” Aisha said.

   Ibrahim Idris confirmed that about 340 PVCs believed to have been stolen from INEC office have been recovered. He said the five people in whose possession the PVCs were found have been arrested and would be charged to court soon.

   According to him, the police were prepared to launch full-scale surveillance on political activities in Kano, assuring that security agencies would no longer tolerate violence before, during and after the general elections.

0 Comments