Operatives of the Department of State Services (DSS), and the Nigeria Police Force (NPF), on Saturday, August 16, 2025, arrested a suspected vote buyer with ₦25.9m in Kaduna some few hours before the commencement of the by-elections in the State.
It was gathered that based on intelligence, operatives stormed a popular hotel along Turunku Road in the Kaduna metropolis and swooped on the alleged vote-buying plot in the early hours of Saturday during which they arrested the suspect with ₦25,963,000 in cash.
The suspect, who was identified as Shehu Aliyu Patangi was immediately taken into custody at about 3:30 a.m. by a joint team of the DSS and the police.
The suspect is currently being held by security agencies while investigations continue into the source of the funds, the intended recipients, and possible networks involved in the operation.
There have been expressed concerns over vote buying during elections and other forms of electoral malpractices and manipulations in the country.
The outcome of the suspect’s interrogation is expected to form part of a broader inquiry into alleged vote-buying ahead of the bye-elections not just in Kaduna but across the 13 States where the by-elections are being held.
