POLICE TIGHTEN SECURITY AS GOMBE CONSTITUENCY HOLDS BY-ELECTION

The Gombe State Police Command has deployed personnel and operational equipment across Gombe, Kwami and Funakaye Local Government Areas ahead of Saturday’s by-election for the Gombe/Kwami/Funakaye Federal Constituency. The election, scheduled for September 19, 2026, will determine the new representative for the vacant seat in the House of Representatives.

The command said the deployment was carried out in collaboration with members of the Inter-Agency Consultative Committee on Election Security to provide security before, during and after the exercise. Police personnel have been deployed to Independent National Electoral Commission offices, polling units, collation centres and other strategic locations across the three local government areas.

The police also announced a restriction on movement and the closure of commercial activities in Gombe, Kwami and Funakaye from 6am to 6pm on election day. Essential services are exempted from the restriction, although personnel providing such services have been warned against using sirens, unregistered vehicles or vehicles with covered number plates during the period.

The command further stated that only statutory security agencies operating under the Inter-Agency Consultative Committee on Election Security would be authorised to provide security during the election. State-owned security outfits, private security guards, vigilante groups and other quasi-security organisations were excluded from election security duties. Police also warned against political thuggery, fake news, weapons at polling units and other activities capable of disrupting the election.

The by-election is being held across 903 polling units in the three local government areas, with 495,851 registered voters expected to participate. The police urged residents to cooperate with security personnel and report suspicious activities, while parents and guardians were advised to prevent their children and wards from being used for political violence. INEC had earlier identified Gombe and Funakaye as areas of high electoral risk because of concerns over political thuggery, while Kwami was also flagged for heightened security attention. (punchng.com)