The Police in Imo said it had arrested 180 persons with “voter cards’, `INEC identity cards’ and `Independent Observer identity cards’.
The Commissioner of Police in the State, Mohammed Katsina, told a news briefing in Owerri on Thursday that two pump action rifles, live ammunitions, 15 buses and other incriminating materials were recovered from the persons.
He said that the persons, who came from Osun, were heading to Anambra ahead of Saturday’s governorship elections.
“They were arrested while waiting to link up with their contacts in Anambra.The suspects were on a mission to breach the peace in the state and will be prosecuted.
“The security agents and the command had worked so hard to attain peace and will not allow any politician, no matter how highly placed, to compromise it”, he said.
One of the suspects, Salawo Ayodele, denied the alleged intent to rig the Anambra election.
He said they were members of an independent election monitoring body called ‘Equity and Justice’ and that they had merely planned to go and observe the election.
He added that they were given N10,000 each as allowance for their feeding during their stay in Anambra.