SEVENTEEN suspected political thugs have been put on display by Nasarawa state police authorities for a variety of offenses related to the state’s recently concluded elections.
Ramhan Nansel, the state’s public relations officer, while parading the suspects at the police headquarters in Lafia today stated that they were found with weapons and ammunition.
He added that some of the suspects had been brought in from Imo and the neighboring Federal Capital Territory (FCT) in order to sabotage the state’s most recent elections.
He went further to state that Maiyaki Muhammed Baba, the state’s commissioner of police, had expressed concern about attempts by some political figures in the state to bring in thugs in order to disrupt the peace during the presidential and National Assembly elections.
Nansel, a deputy superintendent of police, however noted that despite the warning, some criminal elements attempted to enter the state through its borders.
Adding that on the eve of the March 18 election, the military in Umaisha, Toto local government area of the state, stopped a Toyota pickup and a Toyota Siena SUV loaded with suspected political thugs.
“A thorough search was conducted on them where two English pump action guns, Nine locally fabricated guns, 20 live cartridges, 24 handsets of different brands, two unregistered vehicles, fifteen pairs of desert booths, a bag containing Belt, Bullet proof jackets etc,” Nansel stated
The police spokesman identified the suspects as Aaron Samson, Tijani Jemba, Abdulahi Salihu, Usman Abubakar, Abdulahi Usman, Mohammed Abdulahi, Babangida Mohammed Kasimu A. Danladi, Saidu A. Suleiman, Salihu Abdulkareem, Shamsudeen Abubakar, Usman Murtala, Mohammed Sule, Huseini Elhag, James Emeka, Idris Abdullazeez and Ibrahim Alhassan.
Nansel added that when the Criminal Investigation Department of the Command finishes its investigation, the suspects would be charged in court.
