No fewer than 30 people were arrested for allegedly engaging in electoral violence and vote‑buying during the March 18 governorship election in Ogun State, the state’s Commissioner of Police, Frank Mba, announced on Thursday. He made the disclosure while speaking to journalists during a visit to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) office in Abeokuta, the state capital.
Mba explained that the suspects were detained in various parts of the state for unlawful possession of firearms, inducement, vote‑buying and other offences. Police also recovered 12 firearms—including an English‑made Beretta pistol—25 live cartridges and eight spent cartridges. In addition, 235 credit cards and customized ATM cards were seized from those involved in vote‑buying.
“The 30 persons arrested faced a range of charges, from unlawful possession of weapons to disorderly behaviour around polling units, conduct likely to cause a breach of peace, and offences related to undue influence and attempts at vote‑buying,” Mba said. “We also recovered a total of 12 firearms of different makes and shapes, most of them locally fabricated shotguns, as well as one Beretta pistol. In total, we found 25 live cartridges and eight expended cartridges, and 235 customized credit or ATM cards.”
Investigations are ongoing, and Mba promised to keep the public informed of progress. He assured that the suspects would be handed over to INEC for proper prosecution after the investigation determines the level of complicity and culpability. “Under the new rules, prosecution is handled by INEC. At the appropriate time, and under directives from the Inspector General of Police, these cases will be transferred to INEC. We will work together with them, support them, and ensure that these cases are diligently prosecuted.”
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