62 Suspected Thugs Arrested Over Violence At Niger APC Primaries

Sixty-two suspected political thugs have been arrested in Niger State following the violence that rocked the Local Government primaries conducted by the All Progressives Congress.

The Public Relations Officer of the State Police Command, Mr Abubakar Dan-Inna, confirmed this in a statement on Sunday.

Three persons were said to have been killed in Shiroro Local Government while there were reports of pockets of clashes among party supporters in other local government areas during the primaries which held on September 7.

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Dan-Inna explained that the suspects arrested by the police in five local government areas were in possession of weapons and deadly substances suspected to be hard drugs.

Some of the items recovered from them, according to him, included a vehicle loaded with machetes, daggers and knives.

The Command’s spokesman noted that the suspects have been charged to court for unlawful assembly, disturbance of public peace, and for sponsoring thuggery in accordance with the state’s Anti-Thuggery Law.

He added that the Commissioner of Police in the state, Abubakar Usman, vowed that the Command under his watch would not allow disgruntled elements to continue to harass innocent citizens.

Usman, therefore, warned those planning to disrupt the forthcoming local government elections to have a rethink.

“Anyone with any grievances in the conduct of the primary election should seek redress in the court of law rather than resorting to violence,” the police commissioner was quoted as saying.