The Police Public Relations Officer, MacDon Ogbeche who on Monday paraded the suspects alongside other 66 suspects allegedly engaged in various electoral malpractices at the command headquarters, Ikot-Akpanabia, Uyo said the officers and men swung into action immediately they got a tip-off of the incident and arrested the suspects.
According to the PPRO who spoke on behalf of the Police Commissioner, CP Bashir Makama, the suspects who were all male included: Nkereuwem Etuk, Emaeyak Essiet, Daniel Umoh, Ekemini Jacob, Idongesit Etuk, Iniobong Akpan, Ifiok Etukudoh, Etuk Gregory, Udo Akaninyere and Wisdom Etteh.
His words, “On the 15th of February 2019, the eve of the 2019 general elections at about 10:05 pm, hoodlums at Obot Akara Local Government Area, close to INEC office macheted and killed one person whose identity is yet unknown, burnt down eleven buses and vandalized two.
“The command acted swiftly and arrested ten persons in connection with the crime.”
He also said that items recovered from them were two locally made short guns, twenty-five live cartridges, weeds suspected to be Indian hemp, two machetes, Charms of different types, one knife, one scissors, hot drink, phones, dead bird, and human hairs.
He further said that the suspects would be transferred to the Force Criminal Investigation Department for more discreet investigation.
The command also paraded some hoodlums who on the 13th of February 2019, allegedly set INEC Office at Eastern Obollo LGA ablaze.
The PPRO explained that policemen intervened promptly and put off the fire assuring that all the INEC materials were intact.
The police, however, urged politicians to play by the rules and advised their supporters to conduct themselves peacefully during the elections, warning that it would deal decisively with anyone culpable of perpetrating violence before, during and after the elections.
