Rivers election fraud: Police officers land in trouble

- The police authorities say officers arrested for alleged involvement in the Rivers election fraud will be punished if found guilty

- The police spokesperson, Mr. Awunah, says IG Ibrahim Idris is determined to bring all culprits to book because the police was the worst hit in the violence

- Awunah discloses that five suspected cultists engaged to unleash violence and snatch election materials have been arrested

Some police officers have been arrested by the police authorities over their alleged involvement in misconducts during the Rivers legislative rerun elections.

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The elections took place on Saturday, December 10, and held in 21 constituencies in the state.

The poll which was marred by accusation and counter-accusations between the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the All Progressives Congress (APC) was marred by irregularities and violence.

Reports from observers groups about the poll also accused the INEC, military and police of involvement in election fraud.

The police public relations officer, Mr. Awunah on Thursday, December 15, told Premium Times that police suspects had been arrested over their alleged involvement in election fraud.

Awunah who noted that all the arrested officers would be punished if found guilty said there was a possibility that the officers were compromised by politicians.

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He said the inspector general of police, Ibrahim Idris, was determined to bring all culprits to book because the police was the worst hit in the violence.

“We are the only one that suffered casualty gruesomely,” he said. He disclosed that a panel had been set up to investigate all that happened in Rivers during the elections, including the alleged misconducts of officers and the murder of officers," he said.

The police spokesperson said five suspected cultists engaged to unleash violence and snatch election materials were arrested.

Awunah said that suspects had been brought to Abuja to avoid interference, and that one had confessed to being hired by the House of Representatives member-elect from Asari-Toru/Akuku-Toru federal constituency, Boma Goodhead.

He however, dismissed media reports that the head of special anti-robbery squad (SARS) in River state, Akin Fakorede, attacked INEC staff at a collation centre.

In a related development, Governor Nyesom Wike has led a protest to the Rivers state police command over the conduct of the security operatives during the Rivers state rerun election.

The governor led hundreds of Rivers citizens on the protest today, Thursday, November 15.

Wike called for the redeployment of the assistant commissioner of police Steven Hasso and Akin Fakorade from the state.

This is coming on the same day an audio recording was leaked of Wike allegedly threatening to kill an unnamed official of the Independent National Electoral Commission from Plateau who refused to help in the rigging of the election after collecting money from the governor.