The police in Niger state has arrested two persons for making false claims that some people in the situation room of the All Progressive Congress gubernatorial candidate in the state were thumbprinting ballot papers.
The police had received the ‘’information” and while acting on it, invaded the situation room of the party on Sunday, March 5. According to the Director of Digital and Strategic Communications in the situation room, Abdulberqy Ebbo the policemen came into the building and ransacked the situation room, saying they were acting on a tip-off.
Ebbo said the Divisional Police Officer, who led the search, said he was reliably informed that officials of the Independent Electoral Commission were in the building with sensitive materials thumb-printing ahead of the Saturday gubernatorial election in favour of the APC.
“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. When they finished searching, they discovered that there was no such thing going on in the building. At that time, the Commissioner of Police had also arrived on the premises, so the boys who have the information were arrested for giving false information to the police.
As I was arriving at the building, I noticed many PDP members standing by and then I realised the report had come from them and they seemed ready to cause trouble. The CP said having a situation room wasn’t out of place.”he said
Confirming the incident, the spokesperson of the state police command, Abiodun Wasiu, said
‘’The informant who was identified as Engineer Ndagi and one other were immediately arrested for giving false information and attempting to cause breach of peace at the scene.”