Operatives of the Bauchi State Police Command have arrested 47 suspects posing as state-owned security personnel carrying weapons across polling units during the Disina State Constituency by-election in Shira Local Government Area.
​The arrests took place on Saturday, September 19, 2026, as voting commenced across the constituency. Police officers deployed for election security intercepted the armed men inside polling premises and recovered firearms, cutlasses, and heavy wooden sticks.
​According to a press statement issued on Saturday by the Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), SP Nafiu Habib, the individuals claimed membership in a state-backed security outfit.
However, their presence explicitly breached prior security protocols established by the command. ​The command highlighted that an official security directive released on Thursday, September 17, 2026, strictly barred non-statutory groups, including state-owned security outfits, quasi-security agencies, private guards, and vigilante groups, from election security duty in both Disina (Shira LGA) and Sakwa (Zaki LGA) State Constituencies. ​
Only security agencies recognized under the Inter-Agency Consultative Committee on Election Security (ICCES) were authorized to secure polling areas. Furthermore, Section 126 of the Electoral Act 2022 strictly prohibits carrying weapons within 300 meters of a polling unit on election day. ​Condemning the breach, the Commissioner of Police, CP Sani-Omolori Aliyu, characterized the group’s actions as a deliberate attempt to undermine the electoral process and defy lawful orders. ​CP Aliyu ordered the immediate transfer of all 47 suspects, along with the recovered weapons, to the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID) at the command headquarters in Bauchi for comprehensive investigation and subsequent prosecution. ​The Bauchi State Police Command reiterated its commitment to maintaining order, warning that any individual or group attempting to disrupt the electoral process would face the full weight of the law. Resident voters were encouraged to remain law-abiding and report suspicious activities to law enforcement.
