Nigeria Police gets electoral crime desk, arrest 24 in Nassarawa

The Nigerian Police has set up an electoral crime desk to fight crime related to elections.

With the conclusion of APC presidential primaries around the corner, the police in Nigeria is getting set for the full takeoff of political activities across the nation.

The Inspector-General of Police, Usman Baba, approved the establishment of Electoral Offences Desk at the Force Criminal Investigations Department, Force Headquarters, in Abuja.

This is contained in a statement made available to TheNewsGuru.com by Force Public Relations Officer, Muyiwa Adejobi on Tuesday.

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The desk has the Commissioner of Police, FCID, as the Desk Officer.

The IGP also approved its establishment at State Commands across the nation with the Assistant Commissioners of Police in charge of the Criminal Investigation Departments as State Desk Officers.

The statement partly reads, “The mandate of the Electoral Offences Desk Officers includes the collation and investigation of all electoral offences and complaints from members of the public or any quarters, with a view to determining culpability in line with the amended Electoral Act 2022, and proffering charges before Courts of competent jurisdiction for necessary legal action.”

Meanwhile the police has arrested 24 political thugs in a hotel, Minki Suites, along Keffi-Akwanga road, Nasarawa State.

The arrest was made possible when officers acted on a credible intelligence about the activities of the thugs.

The thugs are suspected to be loyal to an aspirant in the Nasarawa-West Senatorial primary election, and came into the hotel in a convoy of seven private vehicles.

Recovered items from the suspects include: eight pump action guns, two locally made revolver guns, 37 rounds of live cartridges, four bulletproof vests, 27 mobile phones, two pairs of vigilante uniforms, five cutlasses, 10 assorted knives, criminal charms, and other incriminating objects.

Preliminary investigations revealed that the suspects are thugs for hire who carry out their nefarious activities under the guise of membership of the Vigilante Group of Nigeria (VGN).

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