The Bauchi state government has condemned the arrest of 47 members of the Community Vigilante Organisation in Shira local government area during the Disina State Constituency by-election held on Saturday, September 19, 2026, describing the development as a serious disruption to the state’s security architecture.
The Commissioner for Information and Communication, Dr. Usman Shehu Usman, stated this in a press release issued in Bauchi on Thursday. According to him, the prolonged detention of the vigilante members was a matter of serious concern, given their role in supporting security and maintaining peace in their respective communities.
He said the vigilante members were accredited community security personnel who had been involved in maintaining peace, protecting lives and property, and supporting public order long before the conduct of the by-election.
“There was no established evidence, in the Government’s account, that the arrested persons interfered with electoral materials or the electoral process,” the commissioner said.
He added that their presence at the election venues was connected to their traditional community-security responsibilities and their desire to contribute to peaceful activities within their communities.
The commissioner said the government was concerned that the arrests were allegedly based on election-security concerns without evidence, as understood by the government, that the individuals had tampered with electoral materials, disrupted voting or otherwise interfered with the lawful conduct of the election.
“Upon their arrest, the affected individuals reportedly maintained that they were peace agents duly recognised and accredited, whose responsibility was to protect lives and property and assist in maintaining peaceful communities rather than interfere with the electoral process,” he said.
Usman noted that governments had, over the years, engaged recognised security, paramilitary, community and other civil structures during periods of heightened public activity to support peaceful conduct.
He, however, said the Bauchi State Government recognised the constitutional and statutory responsibilities of the Nigeria Police Force and other authorised security agencies in safeguarding elections.
The commissioner stressed that the government expected the rule of law to be applied fairly and objectively, without political considerations.
He alleged that the Bauchi State Police Command appeared to have been influenced by what he described as attempts by sections of the opposition to “politically blackmail and criminalise” members of a civil organisation with a history of community service.
“The Government stresses that community volunteers should not be subjected to political victimisation merely because of their status or lawful community responsibilities.
“Any allegation of criminal conduct should be established through transparent investigation and due process, with each individual treated according to the evidence available against him,” he said.
The commissioner said the relatively peaceful and secure environment in Bauchi State was partly attributable to the efforts of local vigilantes, who, he said, had provided security agencies with valuable knowledge of their communities and local terrain.
He warned that removing 47 active community volunteers from the frontline could create avoidable security challenges and provide opportunities for criminal elements to operate with reduced community-level monitoring.
The Bauchi State Government therefore called for the immediate and unconditional release of the 47 community volunteers arrested over allegations relating to election violence, where no individualised evidence of criminal conduct had been established against them.
It also called on the relevant security authorities to objectively review the circumstances surrounding the arrests and ensure that the fundamental rights of the affected citizens were protected.
The Bauchi State Police Command had earlier announced the arrest of 47 persons allegedly operating under a state-owned security outfit for violating security directives during the Disina State Constituency by-election in Shira Local Government Area.
The Police Public Relations Officer, SP Nafiu Habib, said in a statement that the suspects were arrested at various polling units while allegedly carrying guns, cutlasses and sticks.
According to him, the arrests followed an earlier warning by the command that state-owned security outfits, quasi-security agencies, private security guards and vigilante groups were not authorised to participate in election security operations.
He said only security agencies recognised under the Inter-Agency Consultative Committee on Election Security (ICCES) were permitted to provide security during the election.
