Katsina state police commissioner, Sanusi Buba, yesterday advised the state chairman of the Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP), Yusuf Salisu Majigiri, to desist from cheap blackmail.
Majigiri had yesterday tackled the command, saying the government has allegedly connived with the police to harass and intimidate their members ahead of the general elections beginning tomorrow.
But Buba told newsmen in Katsina that the claims were no doubt a figment of PDP and Majigiri’s imagination “because they are not able to present any tangible evidence on ground to corroborate the wild allegation. It’s unfounded, wild and unreasonable as far as I am concerned.”
The katsina CP, who spoke while fielding questions after announcing the command’s restriction order on vehicular movement tomorrow, also declared that all officers and men that would be involved in Saturday’s elections had been paid their allowances.
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Asked if his command had received part of the FG’s allocation for the payment, he said: “Naturally, police officers and men involved in operations of this nature are usually given some allowances. And quite unlike before when these allowances are paid on the table, Federal Government in conjunction with PSC and the IGP had made arrangement whereby all officers and men involved in this operation would have their allowances paid into their individual accounts and this has been done; in fact, I have received my own alert.”
Buba also refuted claims that over 2000 people were currently taking refuge at Batsari as Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) from villages and hamlets in Batsari Local Government Area of the state following bandits’ attacks.
He said: “We are not aware of IDPs camp has been set-up in Katsina State but I am not unaware of the fact that some villagers have been frightened and they are moving from one place to another where they feel their safety can be guaranteed.”
According to him, the command had deployed additional Armoured Personnel Carriers (APC) and mobile units to the area to provide security for voters to come out en masse and cast their votes without fear of harassment or molestation.
“All the nine frontline LGAs bordering Rugu forest are being fortified with roving patrols to protect voters and safe guard INEC staff and materials. Deployment of policemen and other sister security agencies to man the polling units have also been concluded,” said Buba.
