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At least 16 persons who were allegedly involved in various levels of Political thuggery and violence including ballot box snatching have been arrested and paraded by the Cross River state Police Command.
The Police Public Relations Officer SP Irene Ugbo who spoke with Journalists while parading the suspects said they were arrested in Obudu LGA of the state by the military and handed over to them.
SP Ugbo explained that they had to arrest them and will charge them to court in a bid to serve as a deterrent to others who might be nursing any nefarious intentions to commit havoc come March 11th, 2023 which happens to be the governorship and state House of Assembly elections.
The Police spokesperson further stated that before now the state command had released several press statements and warnings to the public especially parents to caution their children, and wards to avoid being used by desperate politicians during elections to avoid being on the wrong side of the law.
Her words:” These ones here refused to adhere to several warnings by the Command they decided to follow desperate politicians for little stipends.
“We have been hammering it before now that electoral violence and thuggery is a crime but they refused to listen, we will charge them to court so that they can face the full wrath of the law.
“They will be used as examples to serve as deterrents to others with similar intentions because we still have another election coming up on the 11th of March.
“They have confessed to the crime of election violence, some of them were arrested while working with the Chairman of the opposition party in the state and a Senatorial candidate of the Party in the just concluded Senatorial elections. We will invite all those involved to come and give us their statement, “she said.
Speaking further, she said one English pistol and other five locally made guns were recovered from them as evidence to show that they were involved in election violence as they aided the disruption of elections and ballot box snatching in some parts of the state.
Meanwhile, some of the suspects said they were not involved in any form of political violence or thuggery while others claimed to be agents of the ruling Party in the state and others members of the vigilante group.
One of them who spoke with Vanguard, Mr Francis Adie said he was never involved in any form of election violence but was only a party agent who received money to work in the polling unit.
Adie said:” We were randomly arrested by soldiers in Obudu a day before the Presidential and National Assembly elections.
