Suspected political thugs attempting to obstruct the Kano bye-election have been arrested by joint security forces.
More than 100 suspected political thugs attempting to obstruct the Kano bye-election have been arrested by joint security forces.
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) confirmed that the commencement of voting in some parts of the constituencies was delayed due to attempts by hoodlums to hijack electoral materials.
INEC is conducting bye and supplementary elections in two state constituencies—Bagwai/Shanono and Ghari/Tsanyawa—to fill vacant seats in the Kano State House of Assembly.
Speaking with journalists in Bagwai Local Government Area, Kano INEC Resident Electoral Commissioner, Amb. Zango Abdu, expressed satisfaction with the overall conduct of the exercise but acknowledged isolated cases of disruption.
Abdu, who commended the heavy security presence across polling units, disclosed that over 100 suspected political thugs had been arrested for various electoral offences.
“Expectations were very high coming through from Kano to Bagwai, but I am very impressed with the security arrangement. I can see massive deployment on patrol. We saw several thugs rounded up by the police on our way here, and we are happy the process is going on peacefully. More than 100 thugs have been arrested and will be prosecuted. Shanono is now stable after initial disruption, and voting has since commenced,” he said.
On the delay in deployment of sensitive materials, the REC admitted there were logistics challenges, including vehicle breakdowns and attempts by thugs to disrupt movement. However, he maintained that voting began on schedule in most areas.
“In all cases, you must have isolated issues. Sensitive materials arrived polling units and voting commenced at 8:30 a.m. in most places. Although we had cases of breakdowns and disruptions, security agencies quickly stabilized the situation and the process continued,” Abdu added.
