Ahead of today's State Assembly by-elections, the Kano State Police Command has declared an 18-hour mobility restriction in the Kano Municipal and Ungogo local government areas. The ban, which applies to motorcycles, tricycles, and motor vehicles, is in place from 12 a.m. to 6 p.m. The decision was made after a meeting of the Inter-Agency Consultative Committee on Election Security (ICCES), which was co-led by Commissioner of Police CP Ibrahim Bakori and chaired by the Ambassador. Zango Abdu, the Independent National Electoral Commission's (INEC) resident electoral commissioner.
According to a statement released by CSP Abdullahi Kiyawa, the Police Public Relations Officer, the command stated the limitation was a component of steps to ensure a free, credible, and peaceful election process. Only cars performing critical functions, such as ambulances, fire department trucks, and those transporting elected officials and authorized observers, will be exempt, the statement said.
The command also warned that guns, political party insignia, and loitering around polling places would not be permitted, and that only eligible voters and INEC-approved party agents would be permitted at polling stations.
Vigilante organizations, neighborhood watch members, Hisbah, and KAROTA employees were among the state-backed security groups that were prohibited from working at voting places. Throughout the drill, the police urged locals to cooperate fully with law enforcement and assured them of their safety and security.
