The Nigerian police have arrested 128 persons across the country for various electoral offences and recovered 38 assorted weapons from them.
The suspects were apprehended for homicide-related crimes including vote-buying, ballot box snatching, impersonation and malicious damage amongst others.
Consequently, the acting Inspector-General of Police, Mohammed Adamu, has directed the Special Election Investigation Team to immediately commence discrete investigation of all security-related infractions during the election and prosecute those found culpable.
The force spokesman, Frank Mba, disclosed in a statement in Abuja on Sunday that the IG expressed deep concerns over continuous use of hateful and inflammatory comments capable of inciting Nigerians against one another, especially by politicians and their followers.
It warned that while the Force was not in the business of censoring Nigerians or abridging their constitutional rights of freedom of speech, the police would not hesitate to bring the full wrath of the law on anyone found culpable.
The statement read, “Notwithstanding a few unfortunate incidents, including loss of lives recorded during the election, the IG hails the exercise as a generally successful one.
“Meanwhile, a total of 128 persons were arrested across the country for various electoral offences ranging from homicide-related crimes, vote trading, ballot box snatching, impersonation to malicious damage while 38 assorted weapons and a cache of explosives were also recovered.”