Making the disclosure at the weekend at a meeting with political
parties in the state was the Deputy Commissioner Police in Benue state,
Bala Zama Senchi.
The police boos however, declined to mention the party that smuggled the cutlasses into the state.
According to Daily Trust report, Senchi stated that the cutlasses
were new and warned that the command would not tolerate thuggery or any
act capable of causing unrest before, during and after next month’s
elections.
He enjoined politicians in Katsina state to operate within the ambit of the law.
Senchi added that the police are non partisan and committed to ensuring peaceful conduct of the exercise.
He called on parties to submit their campaign timetables to the police to avoid clashes and confrontations during campaigns.
a related development, the Bauchi State Police Command stated at
the weekend that it recovered 34 stolen vehicles, two Improvised
Explosive Devices (IEDs) and a sizeable number of arms and ammunition in
2014.
The state Commissioner of Police, Lawal Shehu, made the disclosure
while speaking on the command’s performance in 2014, adding that the
command recovered 13 AK 47 rifles, one SMG rifle, three Barreta rifles,
11 fabricated pistols, four G-3 rifles, three K2 rifles, 27 Dane guns
and three toy guns.
Shehu also informed that the command also recovered 586 rounds of AK
47 live ammunition, eight rounds of SMG live ammunition, 43 cartridges
and one magazine, 13 boxes of IED cable detonators and two IEDs
concealed inside a fire extinguisher.
“During the year under review, police, through a coordinated
operation in various locations within the state smashed a syndicate of
cattle rustlers and recovered 164 cattle, 34 sheep and 20 goats. Five
suspects have been arrested and charged to court for prosecution,” he said.
The police chief added that over 1,195 suspects consisting of members
of Sara-Suka, cattle rustlers and armed robbers were arrested.
He however stated that they were able to achieve the feat through useful information volunteered by members of the public.
It would be recalled that all political parties in the country last
week agreed to a peace pact to prevent violence during and after next
month’s general elections.
President Goodluck Jonathan of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party
(PDP) and the Presidential candidate of the All Progressive Congress
(APC), General Muhammadu Buhari were among politicians that attended the
peace pact held in Abuja to curb violence during next month’s polls.
