The Bauchi State Police Command has arrested 47 suspected members of a state-owned security outfit allegedly found armed at polling units during Saturday’s by-election in Disina State Constituency, Shira Local Government Area.
The suspects were reportedly carrying guns, cutlasses and sticks when police personnel deployed for election duty apprehended them at different polling locations.
Police Public Relations Officer, SP Nafiu Habib, disclosed the arrests in a statement issued on Saturday, September 19, 2026.
The Command said the suspects claimed to be operatives of a state-owned security outfit but had no authorisation to participate in election security operations.
Their presence at the polling units came despite a directive issued by the police ahead of the exercise prohibiting state-owned security outfits, quasi-security agencies, private guards and vigilante groups from providing election security.
The police had on September 17 released its security plan for the Disina State Constituency and Sakwa State Constituency by-elections in Shira and Zaki local government areas respectively.
Under the arrangement, the Command said only security agencies recognised under the Inter-Agency Consultative Committee on Election Security were permitted to take part in election security duties.
The police described the 47 suspects as having acted in defiance of the Electoral Act and the security guidelines established for the poll.
“The suspects were immediately taken into custody. The exhibits, including firearms and other dangerous weapons, were recovered from them,” the statement said.
The seizure of the weapons adds another dimension to security concerns around electoral activities, as firearms and other dangerous implements are prohibited from being brought into polling environments without lawful authority.
The Command said the arrests were carried out by officers assigned to safeguard voters, election personnel and electoral materials during the by-election.
Following their detention, the suspects were transferred to the State Criminal Investigation Department in Bauchi for further investigation and possible prosecution.
Commissioner of Police, Sani-Omolori Aliyu, condemned the incident and described the presence of the alleged operatives at the polling units as “this blatant disregard for lawful directives and attempt to undermine the electoral process”.
He ordered investigators at the SCID to establish the circumstances surrounding the suspects’ deployment, their activities at the polling locations and the circumstances in which the weapons were recovered.
The police did not state in the release whether the suspects had been formally charged or identify the state-owned security outfit they allegedly represented.
The Command also did not disclose the exact number or type of firearms recovered, although it confirmed that guns and other dangerous weapons were among the exhibits taken into custody.
The police said the arrests formed part of measures to preserve order during the by-election and prevent unauthorised groups from interfering with the conduct of the exercise.
It reiterated that only statutorily recognised security agencies operating under the approved election security framework were authorised to provide security at polling locations.
The Command also cautioned individuals and groups against actions capable of disrupting voting or creating tension around the electoral process.
It called on residents to observe the law and provide information about suspicious activities to the police.
The development places renewed attention on the enforcement of election security rules, particularly the restriction on armed groups operating around polling units.
With the suspects now facing investigation, authorities are expected to determine who authorised their deployment and whether any offences were committed beyond their alleged presence at the voting locations.
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