Security agents in Kaduna have arrested a man they say was caught in the early hours of Saturday with a sack filled with bundles of cash believed to be intended for vote buying ahead of state bye-elections.
The suspect, identified as Shehu Aliyu Patangi, was picked up at about 3:30 a.m. from a popular hotel on Turunku Road in Kaduna metropolis. He was found with ₦25,963,000 in cash, according to the police.
A preliminary inquiry, officials say, suggests that the money was meant to induce voters in order to skew the outcome of the elections.
“He confessed to the crime and begged for mercy,” said DSP Mansir Hassan, the spokesman for the Kaduna State Police Command. “The said amount was believed to have been earmarked for bribing voters.”
The Commissioner of Police, Rabiu Muhammad, vowed that the authorities would not tolerate any attempt to undermine the polls.
“Anyone found attempting to subvert the electoral process through vote buying, thuggery, violence, or any other illegal conduct will face the full wrath of the law,” he warned.
The police also issued a broader caution to political actors, urging them and their supporters to shun violence.
Intelligence reports, they said, indicated plans by unnamed politicians to trigger unrest during the voting exercise.
Security personnel have been stationed at polling units, collation centres and identified flashpoints.
“The command will deal decisively with troublemakers,” the statement continued. “Anyone, no matter how highly placed, who engages in violence, intimidation, vote buying or thuggery will be arrested and prosecuted.”
Residents were urged to go about the elections without fear, with assurances of security before, during and after the vote.