The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has alleged mass arrests and harassment of its members at Dekina Local Government Area and other parts of Kogi East District by operatives of SARS. Deputy Director, Public Communication of the PDP Governorship Campaign Council, Austin Okai, in a statement issued on Tuesday, alleged that a top SARS officer in the state allegedly led “some notorious thugs” to Abocho in Dekina area to arrest and brutalise PDP members and supporters.

According to him, its members were allegedly being abducted by thugs of the ruling party with the backing of police SARS operatives.

The PDP alleged that there were plans to “demobilise the main opposition party from carrying out electioneering campaigns” in Kogi East, Kogi West and Kogi Central.

The campaign council said it would not be in the interest of fairplay for the ruling party to “devise several dubious and deadly means of disallowing the party’s candidate from going about his campaigns.”

When contacted, the Kogi State Commissioner of Police, Hakeem Busari, said the police was not in any celebration with the State government or ruling party to harass or carry out mass arrests against the opposition PDP members as alleged.

He said the police, as a professional organisation, had been providing level-playing field and security for all political parties to go about their campaigns across the state. (Daily Trust)