The Anambra State Police Command said on Tuesday said that 14 suspects were arrested in the course of last Saturday’s Presidential and National Assembly elections for various offences ranging from ballot box snatching, disruption of elections, malicious damage and thuggery.

The State Commissioner of Police, Mr. Rabiu Ladodo, who announced the arrests, reeled out exhibits recovered from the suspects to include two vehicles, two Motorcycles, three Ballot Boxes snatched from Okpoko in Ogbaru Local Government Area of the state, two knives and dry leaves suspected to be cannabis sativa.

Ladodo said that electoral materials such as ballot papers were also destroyed at Obosi and Ojoto collation centres

According to him, all suspects would be charged to court as soon as investigation is concluded.

Speaking at a press conference in Awka, the Police Commissioner urged all aggrieved parties who lost in the election not to take laws into their hands and foment chaos but explore legal avenues in order to seek for redress as stipulated by law.

He said: “The Command will not fold its arm and watch any individual or group, no matter how highly placed, disrupt the relative peace in the state which the law enforcement agencies in the state are working assiduously to maintain.”

Ladodo observed that despite some isolated cases recorded in some parts of the state where the Command responded promptly and prevented breakdown of law and order, the election was generally peaceful without recording any loss of lives or injury.

He said that the peaceful conduct of the elections in the state goes to confirm that Anambra State is not only a peaceful State in the whole federation but also the most secured in terms of safety and security even as he commended people of the State for conducting themselves in a peaceful manner and for coming out to exercise their civic responsibilities on Saturday.

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