Three suspected hoodlums who planned to unleash violence against citizens before, during, and after the current political campaign season have been arrested by the Sokoto state police command.
Spokesman of the Command, Deputy Superintendent of Police, Sanusi Abubakar revealed this in a statement he signed and made available to newsmen in Sokoto.
He said the police through careful intelligence-led operation arrested the suspects for being in possession of illicit drugs and some deadly weapons while rehearsing to employ unprovoked violent actions on unsuspecting people in the state.
According to a police spokesman, the move is intended to prevent vulnerable youths from becoming radicalized and used as political thugs ahead of electioneering campaigns and ballot box snatching.
He said the state commissioner of police, therefore, advised politicians in the state to warn their followers to always respect the law and refrain from engaging in acts that could endanger human lives or escalate acts likely to cause destruction of property.
According to him, the police command is determined to take decisive actions and ensure appropriate punishment of potential offenders according to extant laws and provisions of the constitution.
The commissioner, according him, also reaffirmed that this is the start of a new era in Sokoto state and that all potential criminal elements are being urged to change for the better or face the full force of the law because the Command will not give up on fighting crime in all of its forms.
