Operatives of the Ekiti State Police Command have arrested 11 suspected political thugs allegedly mobilised to disrupt the forthcoming House of Representatives primary of the All Progressives Congress in the state.
The Commissioner of Police, Falade Micheal, disclosed this on Friday during a press briefing in Ado-Ekiti.
According to him, the command had intensified security deployment across the state ahead of the APC primary election earlier scheduled for May 15 to ensure a peaceful and credible process.
Falade said the police received intelligence on Thursday night that suspected hoodlums armed with dangerous weapons had converged at a hotel in Ikun-Ekiti.
Acting on the information, operatives of the Rapid Response Squad were deployed to the location, leading to the arrest of seven suspects, while others reportedly escaped in three vehicles.
The police identified those arrested at the hotel as Adekunle Stephen, Adepoju Adebayo, Boluwaji Ishola, Oluwatobi Adeoluwa, Akintunde Emmanuel, Adewale Makanjuola and Ibitola Babatope.
Items recovered during the operation included two pump-action guns, a Beretta pistol, live ammunition, cartridges, suspected charms, two Apple laptops and a Honda Accord vehicle.
The police commissioner added that further operations led to the interception of an unregistered Toyota Sienna bus conveying four additional suspects believed to have fled the hotel during the initial raid.
The additional suspects were identified as Abanikanda Sikiru, Dayo Ibijowo, Ajayi Dele and Adegbite Damola.
Falade said another pump-action gun was recovered from the vehicle.
According to the police boss, preliminary interrogation revealed that the suspects allegedly confessed to being political thugs hired by a serving member of the House of Representatives to cause disruption during the APC primary.
He said investigations were ongoing to arrest other fleeing suspects as well as the alleged sponsor.
The commissioner added that the suspects would be charged in court after investigations are concluded.
Falade urged residents to remain peaceful and avoid acts capable of undermining security during the political process, assuring that the police would continue working with other security agencies to maintain law and order across the state.