Police pledge to move against political thuggery in C/River

The Police Command in Cross River has vowed to move against political thuggery in the State as the general elections draws nearer.

The state’s Commissioner of Police, Sule Balarabe, stated this in Calabar on Thursday, during a parade of suspects arrested across the state in January.

He appealed to political actors to shun politics of bitterness and embrace the spirit of sportsmanship.

“Parents, guardians and leaders wielding various levels of authority are once again enjoined to persuade or warn their children, wards, and their followers against being used as robot or detractors in the election process.

“The reason for the warning is because there will be awful consequences and corresponding sanctions as prescribed by the laws of the land,” he warned.

Balarabe called on political parties, their candidates, groups and individuals to respect the rule of law and work towards the maintenance of law and order in the state.

While noting that the command would create a level playing field for all the political parties, the commissioner said the Police would also increase visibility across the state for the purpose of the poll.

“Consequently, there will be an increase in the state of visibility policing, improved inter-agency partnership and intelligence sharing, confidence building patrols and heightened surveillance activities on strategic roads at flash points and stop and search where the need arises,” he said.

The police commissioner said that 2022 presented sets of security challenges that threatened the security order and national cohesion of the state.

He listed some of the challenges to include, flashes of violent campaigns by “unpatriotic political bigots,” and defacing of campaign posters/billboards.

Others he said are: attacks and counter attacks on political opponents, social media propaganda from some quarters, kidnapping, armed robbery and other sundry criminality.