Bauchi By-election: EFCC Nabs Gov Bala’s Aide For Alleged Vote Buying

BY SEGUN ADEBAYO – Though the election has been won and lost, tongues are still wagging over the arrest of an aide to Bauchi State governor, Mr Abdon Dalla Gin by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) during the by-election in Dass Local government last Saturday.

Dalla Gin, who is the Special Adviser to Governor Bala Mohammed on Civil Service Affairs, had a brush with the anti-graft agency shortly after casting his vote and was reportedly arrested in connection with huge sums of money found inside the boot of his car around the polling centre.

Reports by Blueprint indicated that the EFCC, on discovering the said money, detained Gin at Dass divisional police station for hours before he was eventually released.

The Bauchi State Commissioner of police, Lawal Tanko Jimeta who visited the local government area while the election was still ongoing, confirmed knowledge of the incident but said the arrest was in order since the Commission also has a stake in the election.

“There is a report that somebody was arrested by either EFCC or ICPC but I am yet to confirm. What we have to know is that every security agency, especially EFCC and ICPC, have their roles. If you read the electoral act, you will see their roles”, he told reporters

CP Jimeta said the Command deployed over 600 police men to Dass local government to ensure that law and order was maintained through out the election.

The police boss however said the Police, on their part, have not yet arrested anybody.

Also speaking, counsel to the governor’s aide, who secured his bail, Barrister Mukhtar Abubakar Othman admitted that money was found in the boot of Gin’s car.

He however said his client was not sharing money when he was arrested, adding that he has the right as a citizen to move with money in either his pocket or car as far as he was not sharing it to voters.