Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Katsina State has kicked against the arrest of 15 of its agents and removal of over 20 laptop computers from its situation room in Katsina, insisting that the action is politically motivated, hence only the party suffered the attack.
The PDP Atiku / Lado Campaign Council in the state, in a release on Saturday, said the raid cast doubt on the neutrality of the police.
The campaign council’s director of media and press, Kabir Yusuf Yaradua, worried by the development, said the opposition party will institute legal action against the police over what he described as “unwarranted and unprovoked police attack” on the PDP Computer Room on Nagogo Road in katsina Metropolis.
He lamented that the “callous, wicked and barbaric attack” came less than 24 hours to the commencement of 2023 general elections.
The statement read in part: “During the attack, the police carted away the PDP computers and accessories in which vital and highly classified Information and documents were being stored in the last six months to date.
“As a law abiding Party, PDP will institute a legal action against the Police for violating its rights to privacy and trespassing its territory without any valid court order or warrant of search and also without committing any offence to warrant such undemocratic act.
“Its to be noted that by committing this illegality, the Police are therefore battle ready to assist in truncating our democracy.”
The release argued that in this 21st century, “the police action should be viewed by all right thinking individuals as evil, mischief and inhuman which seeks to retard our progress and development.”
Meanwhile, the police command had made a U – turn on its earlier statement that it arrested 15 political party agents with twenty (20) laptop computers allegedly with intent to hack into INEC servers to rig elections results.
The command admitted that it had carried out in-depth investigations with the assistance of independent computer expert and it was discovered that the political party in question was setting up a situation room, using a computer application software, for the purpose of collating elections results through their party agents, but not to hack into INEC servers with intent to rig elections results as allegedly reported.
“The Commissioner of Police, Katsina state Command, CP Kolo Yusuf, is assuring the members of the public that the command is on top of the situation and in synergy with other sister agencies, have put in place water tight security at all RACs, polling centers and units and urges all to go out and cast their votes without any fear of attack or molestation,” said the spokesman of the command, Gambo Isah, Superintendent of Police.
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