– Police revealed how many were killed during the Rivers
rerun election
– Army gives reasons for the arrest of Kenneth Kobani
The Nigerian police have released an official death toll for
the rerun election in Rivers state on March 19, Saturday.
Adisa Bolanta, the assistant inspector general of police in
zone six, Calabar, confirmed that four deaths were
recorded while 22 people were arrested during the poll.
He revealed this at a joint security press conference in Port
Harcourt.
Bolanta said suspects were being quizzed on accusations
of criminal or electoral offences.
According to him, deployments made by the police helped
in reducing election-related crimes.
In the same vein, the commander of 2 brigade of Nigerian
army, Stephenson Olabanji, explained the arrest of the
secretary to the Rivers state government, Kenneth Kobani.
He said that a special assistant to the governor was also
arrested.
Olabanji added that both men were arrested in Gokana and
Khana local government area on Saturday for supposedly
committing electoral offences.
His words: “Many people were arrested yesterday for
disrupting the electoral process and the law is not meant
for just the lower cadre alone.
“No matter who you are, if you go against the law, you will
definitely face the music.
“So, there is nothing like being Secretary to the State
Government; many people were arrested as you have been
told; a lot of people were arrested.”
He denied reports by the state government that some
commissioners and other top officials were manhandled by
the army during the re-run polls.
The violence erupted during the federal and state
legislative rerun elections in Rivers state.
Kobani has now been released from police custody.
At the same time Nigeria’s electoral body has delayed all
further action on the election to the National Assembly
and the House of Assembly.