The Zone 10 Police Command of the Nigeria Police Force, Sokoto, say it will no longer grant bail to any thug arrested with weapons during political rallies.
The AIG in charge of the zone, Mr Bala Hassan, made the disclosure in Sokoto on Thursday at a stakeholders meeting with the leadership of the political parties.
“Henceforth, any thug arrested with a knife, cutlass or any other type of deadly weapon will be charged to court.
“We will, however, ensure thorough investigations to ensure that anyone indicted is duly prosecuted,’’ Hassan said.
The AIG also promised that the police in the zone would provide a level-playing ground for all the political parties.
“This is to ensure the protection of lives and property before and after the forthcoming polls.
“We will not fold our arms and allow such thugs to unleash terror before and after the elections,’’ he added.
Also, the state Police Commissioner, Mr Salisu Fagge, vowed that the police would work round the clock to ensure the conduct of violence-free campaigns and elections.
“Politicians must respect the rules of the game by obeying the laws of the land and the electoral act.
“The police will not allow anybody to trample on the Public Order Act, otherwise it constitutes a breach of peace and unity of the state and Nigeria in general,’’ Fagge, warned.
The State Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Alhaji Kabiru Aliyu, and his All Progressives Congress (APC) counterpart, Alhaji Aminu Bello, commended the police for convening the meeting.
“All the political parties should be treated equally by the police, while all their complaints must be treated fairly and equally,’’ they urged.
NAN reports that the proposed signing of a peace accord by the gubernatorial candidates of the two political parties was botched due to their absence at the meeting.
They are Sen. Abdallah Wali of the PDP and Alhaji Aminu Tambuwal of the APC, who is also the Speaker of the House of Representatives.
NAN also reports that the proposed signing of the peace accord was thereafter deferred to a yet-to-be-disclosed date as agreed by the political parties
