Police arrest six persons over political killings in Delta

The Delta State Police Command has arrested no fewer than six suspects over the killing of five persons on Sunday night in Effurun, Uvwie Local Government Area.

The six persons, including a woman and four men, were shot in an apartment by unknown gunmen allegedly on a reprisal mission for the killing of two persons on February 2, 2019.

State Police spokesman, Andrew Aniamaka, disclosed that the deceased were members of the All Progressives Congress (APC), adding that they were shot in reprisals by suspected members of opposition parties in the council.

But another account said the victims were Killed by security personnel drafted to the area.

However, The Guardian learnt that political tension in Uvwie council was being fueled by the war of words from senatorial candidates of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and his APC counterpart, Evelyn Oboro and Ovie Omo-Agege

Aniamaka, however, said calm has been restored to the area and that everything was being done to ensure that such killings do not happen again during elections.

Chairman of Uvwie Council, Ramson Onoyake, who confirmed the killings, said six persons have so far been confirmed arrested in connection with the incident.

In a related development, the Akwa Ibom State Commissioner of Police (CP), Bashir Makama, yesterday warned politicians to desist from buying, selling or canvassing for votes at polling units.

He gave the warning at a meeting with stakeholders of political parties, heads of security agencies and officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

The CP said anyone caught indulging in electoral malpractices would be arrested and prosecuted, stressing that necessary measures have been put in place to ensure free, fair and credible polls on Saturday.

Meanwhile, Nasarawa State coordinator of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), Mrs. Zainab Isa, has appealed to security agents to protect corps members recruited to serve as ad-hock staff during the polls.

Zainab made the appeal in an interview in Lafia yesterday.

“I plead with the security agents to secure the lives of my corps members during Saturday’s presidential election and other subsequent elections, while performing their duties during the election,” she stated.