According to a report by The PUNCH, the Niger State Police Command has confirmed that it, indeed, stopped a pro-Tinubu rally in Borgu Local Government Area of the state.
According to the Public Relations Officer of the state command, Wasiu Abiodun, who spoke to The PUNCH correspondent on phone on Tuesday, the command got information that there were going to be problems so they nipped them in the bud.
He added that it was a proactive measure taken to prevent a security breach in the community.
“The police took over the venue of the planned rally as a proactive measure due to intelligence received of a likely breach of security at the venue.
“Hence, we had to do the needful to avert any possible attack or hijack by suspected miscreants to cause mayhem and breach of the peace in the community,” Abiodun added.
The rally which was tagged “Grand Lockdown” was to garner support for the All Progressives Congress presidential candidate, Bola Tinubu, and his running mate, Kashim Shettima.
One of the Tinubu/Shettima supporters, Usman Shehu, stated, “The rally was billed to hold at the Borgu Township Stadium at 11am on Tuesday only for supporters to arrive the venue to realise that the police have taken over the venue and its environs.
“We had already concluded arrangements on everything we needed for the rally. We had done our decorations, sound checks and everything required to hold the rally.
“Only for us to come early this morning to see that the police have barricaded the venue and they told us to go back that the rally wasn’t going to hold.”