Police Bar KAROTA, Neighbourhood Watch from Dawakin Kudu By-Election
By Ahmad Tijjani Abdul
KANO — The Kano State Police Command, on Friday formally barred officials of the Kano Road Traffic Agency (KAROTA), Neighbourhood Watch personnel, vigilante groups and other quasi-security outfits from participating in Saturday’s Dawakin Kudu State Constituency by-election.
The KanoPoliceCommand said the only agencies approved under the election security framework will operate at polling and collation centres.
The Commissioner of Police, Ibrahim Adamu Bakori said the directive followed consultations with the Inter-Agency Consultative Committee on Election Security (ICCES) and the Inspector-General of Police’s operational guidelines aimed at guaranteeing a peaceful and credible poll.
According to the commissioner, accredited INEC officials, security personnel, election observers, medical workers, firefighters and duly accredited journalists are the only categories of persons permitted to access polling units and collation centres during the election.
The command also announced a restriction of movement across Dawakin Kudu Local Government Area from 12:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. on election day, noting that residents should remain indoors unless engaged in essential election duties.
Bakori further directed that security aides attached to VIPs, political office holders and government officials must not accompany their principals to polling units or collation centres, warning that the order would be strictly enforced.
He said carrying firearms or dangerous weapons around election venues would not be tolerated, while vote buying, vote selling and political canvassing within the vicinity of polling units remain prohibited under the Electoral Act.
The police commissioner disclosed that adequate personnel and operational assets had been deployed to polling units, Registration Area Centres, collation centres and identified flashpoints, with joint patrol teams positioned to respond swiftly to any breach of peace.
He warned that anyone found violating the movement restriction or any of the electoral guidelines would be arrested and prosecuted in accordance with the law, urging political parties and their supporters to conduct themselves peacefully throughout the exercise.
The command also appealed to parents and guardians to prevent their children from being recruited as political thugs, assuring residents that security agencies would remain committed to protecting lives, property and the integrity of the electoral process.