Police Apprehend Suspected Vote Buyer with ₦25.9m in Kaduna

Police in Kaduna have apprehended a suspected vote buyer, Shehu Aliyu Patangi, with ₦25.9 million just hours before Saturday’s by-elections.

Security personnel in Kaduna have arrested a suspected vote buyer, Shehu Aliyu Patangi, found with ₦25,963,000 just hours before Saturday’s by-elections in the state.

The suspect was apprehended at about 3:30 a.m. at a renowned hotel on Turunku Road by operatives of the Nigeria Police Force in collaboration with the Department of State Services (DSS).

According to the Kaduna State Police Command, preliminary investigations revealed that the money was meant to bribe voters and compromise the integrity of the electoral process.

Police spokesman, DSP Mansir Hassan, confirmed the arrest, disclosing that Patangi had already confessed and begged for leniency.

Quoting the Commissioner of Police, CP Rabiu Muhammad, Hassan said:

“The suspect was arrested with the said amount, believed to have been earmarked for bribing voters. He confessed to the crime and begged for mercy. We wish to reiterate that anyone found attempting to undermine the electoral process will face the full wrath of the law.”

The Commissioner further warned that the Command would not spare anyone involved in vote buying, thuggery, violence, or any criminal activity aimed at disrupting the elections.

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He added that credible intelligence had uncovered plots by some political leaders to incite unrest, prompting security agencies to deploy personnel to polling stations, collation centres, and other flashpoints across the state.

“The Command will deal decisively with troublemakers. Anyone, no matter how highly placed, who engages in violence, intimidation, vote buying, or thuggery will be arrested and prosecuted,” the statement read.

Police authorities also assured residents of adequate security before, during, and after the elections, urging citizens to come out and exercise their civic rights peacefully.