Operatives of the Department of State Services (DSS) in collaboration with the operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on Saturday arrested a top Bauchi State government functionaries and detained him for over 5 hours for an undisclosed offence.
The top functionaries, Abdon Dalla Gin was accosted by the operatives of the two agencies at about 9.30am immediately he cast his vote at the Social Welfare polling center in Bundot ward of the LGA while inside his Toyota Camry Car trying to drive away.
The operatives searched him and inside of his car in front of all the crowd that gathered to witness the happening, after no finding anything incriminating on him, they ordered him to open the booth of his car where an undisclosed sum of money was found.
From the polling center, the operatives drive him to the Dass Divisional Police headquarters where he was detained for more than 5 hours but was later released on bail while investigations will continue to ascertain what actually transpired.
At the Police station, the operatives refused to disclosed the reason for the arrest and detention, even when Journalists attempted to find out from them what happened, the operatives rebuffed the attempt leaving the Journalists in the dark.
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While Speaking with journalists on the issue, Barrister Muktar Abubakar, one of PDP lawyers, said that Abdon Gin was arrested on suspicion of having money in the boot of the car on the day of election.
He explained that, “Vote buying is a situation where one person gives money to another for inducement during voting. But this is a situation where they stopped him when he was driving his car and they saw money in his boot.
He was a former Head of Service of Bauchi State. He is farmer, high profile personality in the state and is capable of having such amount of money. The money is just around N500,000.”
Mukhtar Abubakar added that, “The matter is still being investigated. On the leaked picture, the operatives of the EFCC are angry that the picture leaked because they did not know how the picture was taken.
It was in the process of removing the money from the boot that the picture was snapped. The operatives confirm that he was not sharing money to anyone at the point of arrest.”
“He has been granted bail and the case is under investigation so we should not say anything that will jeopardise the cause of investigation,”the Legal practitioner said.
On his own, Bauchi State Police Commissioner, Tanko Lawal Jimeta said that he received report that the top government official was brought to the police station in Dass saying that the Electoral law gives power to not just security officials but even the citizens to prevent the occurrence of electoral crimes during voting.
Tanko Jimeta, however, emphasised that suspicion of vote buying must be proved, meaning somebody must be witness money being given to another at the polling unit to constitute vote buying emphasizing that anything of such that happens outside the polling units may not amount to vote buying saying that the issue was being investigated at the time of filing this report.
Meanwhile, the Chairman of Dass local government area who was at the police station, Mohammed Suleiman, expressed shock at the conduct of the DSS and EFCC officials saying the money inside the boot of the car driven by Abdon Gin was for the allowances of party agents.
He expressed surprise that a high profile citizen like Abdon Gin who is currently Special Adviser on Civil Service Matters and Labor Matters to the Governor would be detained without proof of perpetuating aby illegal activity.
Our Correspondent who monitored the bye-election in Dass observed that the exercise was smooth as there was a high turn out of voters including women who came out to exercise their franchise.
In another development, ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Bauchi state has alleged that the opposition All Progressives Congress (APC) in the state is using its Federal Government might to harass and intimidate its members in order to twist the Dass state Constituency bye-election ongoing.
It alleged that a list of prominent people in the LGA who are members of the PDP was drawn and handed over to security agents for arrest and incarceration under trumped up allegations till the end of the exercise.
Adamu Haruna who is one of the leaders of the PDP in Dass while speaking to Journalists at the Dass Police Division alleged that the APC knowing that it will not win the bye-election resorted to using its members at the national level to truncate the peaceful conduct of the existence.
He cited the arrest of Adon Dalla Gin and Mrs Yashi by security operatives under the pretence of vote buying as one of the grand plans to frustrate the PDP.
While corroborating the development, Council Chairman of Dass LGA, Mohammed Suleiman said that, “since yesterday (Friday) our members have been subjected to series of harassment and intimidation by security operatives who stormed the area from Abuja”.
Mohammed Suleiman added that, “as you can see, we are here to secure the release of one of our party leaders who was arrested for the allegation of vote buying while voting at the Social Welfare polling unit in Bundot ward of the LGA”.
The Council Chairman added that, “Abdon Gin cast his vote, spoke to Journalists and left the voting area. He was in his car about leaving when the security operatives including personnel of the EFCC accosted him, they searched and did not find anything incriminating on him but found some amount in the booth of his car. The money was meant for settlement of PDP agents and other field officials in the ward where he belonged”.
He however expressed confidence that no amount of intimidation and harassment will stop the PDP from winning the election because according to him, the party was ready for the exercise having campaigned across the LGA.
Mohammed Suleiman also commended INEC for early distribution of election materials saying that in areas where there were issues, the political stakeholders came together and amicably resolved the problem.
In a swift reaction to the allegation, State Chairman of APC, Uba Ahmed Nana said that, “who is intimidating and harassing who, PDP is in power in Bauchi, it has everything in its power to do anything it wants. Our members have witnessed one form of harassment and intimidation or the other in the last one year, yet we have kept mute”.
Uba Nana added that, “what federal might do we have, we only have large followers and supporters across the state, all we want is a free and fair conduct of the election which we are confident of winning”.
The APC Chairman also commended INEC for what he described as excellent logistical arrangement which has made the conduct of the election smooth.