The situation room of the All Progressive Congress (APC) gubernatorial candidate in Niger State, Umar Bago, was invaded on Sunday by men of the Niger State Police Command. According to Abdulberqy Ebbo, Director of Digital and Strategic Communications for the Bago Campaign Organisation, the police entered the building and ransacked the situation room after receiving a tip‑off. Ebbo explained that the Divisional Police Officer (DPO) leading the search claimed he had been reliably informed that officials of the Independent Electoral Commission (INEC) were inside with sensitive thumb‑printing materials ahead of the Saturday gubernatorial election.
Ebbo recounted his reaction: “I got a call that the situation was being searched by the police. I rushed there and asked the DPO what was going on, and he said they were informed that INEC staff were in the situation room thumb‑printing ahead of the governorship election on Saturday.” After completing the search, the police found no evidence of any such activity. The Commissioner of Police arrived at the premises, and the individuals who had provided the false information were arrested for misleading the police.
Ebbo noted that, upon arriving, he saw many PDP members standing nearby and realized that the report had originated from them, seemingly poised to cause trouble. He added that the Commissioner of Police confirmed that having a situation room was not inappropriate.
The Public Relations Officer, Abiodun Wasiu, told our correspondent that two persons were arrested for giving false information to the police in an attempt to breach the peace in the state. “The informant, identified as Engineer Ndagi, and one other were immediately arrested for providing false information and attempting to cause a breach of peace at the scene,” Wasiu said. The suspects have been transferred to the State Criminal Investigation Department for further investigation.
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