The police in Kano State arrested 53 suspected thugs at the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) presidential rally held in the Sani Abacha Stadium, Kano, on Thursday.
The police also arrested 40 suspected criminals at various hideouts within the state in one week and in the process recovered weapons and illicit drugs.
Spokesman of the command, SP Abdullahi Haruna Kiyawa, said the arrests were in line with the directives of the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Usman Alkali Baba, in ensuring a peaceful election process and the command’s effort to rid the state of all forms of crime, especially political thuggery.
He explained that, “Operations conducted during a political activity at the Sani Abacha Stadium, Kano, on 09/02/2023, led to the arrest of 53 suspected thugs. Two locally made guns, 32 knives, one axe, two catapults and a bunch of charms were recovered from them.
“Similarly, another clearance operation conducted by a team of Operation Restore Peace led by CSP Bashir Musa Gwadabe led to the arrest of 40 suspected thugs. 62 parcels of dried leaves suspected to be Indian hemp, 60 bottles of suspected codeine syrup, 28 knives, four motorcycles and three sewing machines were recovered from them.”