The Department of State Services (DSS) apprehended two New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) sympathizers in Kano State on Thursday.
The spokesperson for the secret police, Peter Afunanya, confirmed this in a statement on Thursday morning, stating that the people were arrested for instigating violence in the run-up to the 2023 governorship election on Saturday, March 18th.
He named the NNPP supporters as Sharu Abubakar Tabula and Isma’i Iliyasu Mangu.
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According to Afunanya, DSS has deployed its operatives throughout other states of the federation to “hunt down any politician with the attitude of instigating violence ahead of March 18 gubernatorial and State Assembly elections”.
About the arrested duo, he stated that they were traced down after they independently recorded inciting comments and uploaded them over various social media channels.
According to Afunanya, the security agency got the inciting footage. He thus urged the concerned party to drop it immediately or face the consequences.
He said: “In those potentially harmful messages, they specifically championed certain political interests and directly called on their supporters to violently attack those opposed to them, including security personnel during the 18th March, 2023 Governorship and House of Assembly election in the State.
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“As a result of this development, a particular political party in Kano has threatened to organise protest march in the metropolis as well as storm offices of some of the security agencies on 16th March, 2023 in solidarity for the suspects.”
The DSS official emphasised that the secret police will not idly let “misguided persons or organisations damage the peace and security of the state”.
He urged the party’s leadership to rein in its members and discourage them from engaging in activities that could disrupt peace and order in Kano and its surrounds before, during, and after the scheduled election.
“Aside Kano, the service recently arrested similar subversive elements that threatened violence in other States of the Federation. It would be recalled that it had on 8th March, 2023, enjoined politicians to engage constructively and shun violence, fake news and hate speech,” Afunanya noted.
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He urged political actors to follow the word and spirit of the Electoral Act and guidelines, adding that everyone is encouraged to contribute constructively to the maintenance of peace and democracy in Nigeria.
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