Police parade suspected electoral offenders in Cross River

16 individuals were paraded by the Cross River Police Command on Saturday for a variety of alleged electoral offenses in the state’s Ogoja Local Government Area.

The suspects were found to have weapons and ammunition after their detention in Ogoja following the elections, according to the spokesperson for the command, SP Irene Ugbo, who spoke to reporters while parading them.

According to Ugbo, the arrest came after a thorough manhunt for those responsible for the disruption of various polling places in the council area.

You may recall that the command had previously warned the populace multiple times not to fall victim to desperate politicians before elections and that anyone found out would be held accountable.

These individuals, some of whom attempted to obstruct the elections in Ogoja last Saturday, did not heed our warning and are visible here.

They will be punished in line with the law of the land because they were found in Ogoja with a variety of weapons and ammunition.

The suspects were allegedly discovered to have worked for a candidate during the polls on Saturday, according to the command spokesperson.

Drama, according to NAN, broke out during the march when some of the suspects claimed to be All Progressives Congress (APC) members as well as local Obudu Local Government Area vigilantes.

Additionally, they claimed that they were never detained in Ogoja but rather in Obudu without being aware of the crime they had committed.

One of the accused, Mr. Francis Ubi, who claimed to be an APC coordinator at his Obudu voting location, described how the troops in Obudu randomly selected them the day before the presidential and national assembly elections.

He said, “We were hauled here on fabricated allegations. In Obudu, where I coordinate my voting unit, I do not belong to any other organization or political party besides the APC.

“As we speak, almost N500,000 has been deposited into my account for the purpose of coordinating my unit during the elections; also, I am a vigilante. Five further members of my group are present and were also detained.

“When I was detained at home in Obudu, those who were in uniform at a checkpoint in Obudu were detained.

“The council chairman, who also authorized the use of specific guns for us, allowed our use of specific guns where they were detained.

“I don’t know what is going on. I don’t know any of the people that are being paraded with us, and I only came to meet them now that we are being paraded.

“Due to the degree of security there recently, we (Vigilante) have been the ones keeping Obudu safe. We simply not comprehend the charges against us.

According to Ubi, he was transferred to an army camp in Ogoja after being arrested and stayed there for several days before being hauled to the Police Command in Calabar on Friday.

But, Ugbo insisted that the accused would appear in court the next week.