Police in Bauchi State have arrested 47 people found with firearms, cutlasses and sticks at polling units during Saturday's by election in Disina State Constituency.

The Bauchi State Police Command said the suspects claimed to be operatives of a state owned security outfit but were not authorised to participate in election security duties.

The arrests were carried out by police officers deployed for election duty in Disina State Constituency in Shira Local Government Area on Saturday, September 19.

Police said firearms and other dangerous weapons recovered from the suspects have been taken as exhibits.

Commissioner of Police Sani Omolori Aliyu has ordered that all 47 suspects be transferred to the State Criminal Investigation Department in Bauchi for further investigation and possible prosecution.

The arrests came as voters participated in by elections being conducted by the Independent National Electoral Commission in Disina and Sakwa State Constituencies.

POLICE SAY SUSPECTS WERE FOUND AT POLLING UNITS

According to a statement issued by Bauchi State Police spokesperson SP Nafiu Habib, officers deployed for election security encountered the 47 suspects within polling units in Disina.

Police said they were carrying guns, cutlasses and sticks.

The command said the suspects claimed to belong to a state owned security outfit.

Their claimed membership has not yet been independently established and investigators are expected to examine their identities, affiliations and reasons for being present at the polling units.

Police immediately took the suspects into custody and recovered the weapons allegedly found with them.

STATE SECURITY OUTFITS HAD BEEN BARRED

The arrests followed security directives issued by the police ahead of Saturday's voting.

On September 17, the command announced security arrangements for the by elections in Disina State Constituency in Shira Local Government Area and Sakwa State Constituency in Zaki Local Government Area.

Police explicitly prohibited state owned security outfits, quasi security organisations, private security guards and vigilante groups from participating in election security.

Only statutory security agencies operating under the Inter Agency Consultative Committee on Election Security were authorised to provide security coverage.

The command had also warned that anyone found with weapons or objects capable of facilitating violence at polling units would face arrest and prosecution.

POLICE INVESTIGATING POSSIBLE ELECTORAL OFFENCES

Police said the presence of the suspects and weapons at polling units contravened security directives issued before the election.

Commissioner of Police Sani Omolori Aliyu condemned what the command described as a disregard for lawful directives and an attempt to undermine the electoral process.

He ordered the transfer of the suspects to the State Criminal Investigation Department for what police described as a discreet investigation.

Investigators are expected to determine the circumstances surrounding their presence at the polling units and the ownership and status of the firearms recovered.

Any prosecution will depend on the findings of the investigation and applicable law.

The suspects have not been convicted of any offence and remain entitled to the presumption of innocence.

POLICE HAD TIGHTENED SECURITY AHEAD OF VOTING

Authorities had introduced additional security measures in Shira and Zaki ahead of the elections.

Vehicular movement and some commercial activities were restricted between 6am and 6pm within the affected constituencies, with exemptions for essential workers, INEC personnel, accredited observers and emergency responders.

Security personnel attached to politicians, political office holders and other public officials were also prohibited from accompanying their principals to polling units or collation centres.

The use of sirens and vehicles with concealed number plates was prohibited during the election period.

Police also issued warnings against vote buying, vote selling, political thuggery, misinformation and other conduct capable of disrupting the election.

VOTING UNDERWAY IN DISINA AND SAKWA

INEC is conducting State House of Assembly by elections in Disina and Sakwa State Constituencies.

Disina is located in Shira Local Government Area while Sakwa is in Zaki Local Government Area.

Security personnel were deployed to both constituencies as part of arrangements intended to protect voters, electoral officials and election materials.

Police said the arrest of the 47 suspects was part of efforts to enforce those security measures.

The command has urged residents to remain peaceful and report suspicious activity to security personnel.

INVESTIGATION NOW MOVES TO SCID

Attention will now turn to the investigation by the State Criminal Investigation Department.

Among the issues investigators are expected to establish are the identities of the suspects, whether they are actually members of the security outfit they claimed to represent, the origin and legal status of the firearms and why they were present at polling units despite the restrictions.

The investigation will also determine whether there is sufficient evidence to bring charges against any of those arrested.

Police have not publicly identified the 47 suspects or announced any political affiliation.

Until investigators establish those details, claims about who deployed the suspects or their intended purpose at the polling units should be treated as unverified.