#SnatchAtYourOwnRisk: ‘Those who kill deserve to die,’ Presidency sides with Buhari on ballot box snatchers

The Presidency has come out strong in defense of its principal, President Muhammadu Buhari, over the trending issue of what should be done to Nigerians caught snatching ballot boxes during the rescheduled general elections beginning February 23.

Addressing State House Correspondents on Tuesday, Garba Shehu, who is one of President Buhari’s senior media mangers, said that he saw nothing wrong with assigning death penalty on those who kill in the process of tampering with the country’s electoral processes.

He recalled some past elections during which voters lost their lives to ballot box-snatching thugs in the country.

He said, “Snatching ballot boxes often entails putting the lives of innocent Nigerians at risk,” adding, “About 10 years ago, evidence was brought before an election tribunal from one of the states in North Central of the gruesome killing of 26 prospective voters by ballot box snatchers.

Read also: ELECTIONS: We’re prepared to spill blood, Gov Ortom declares

“Their modus operandi is well known. They storm election venues in commando style, overwhelm the law-enforcement agents and seize ballot boxes leaving a trail of death and injury.”

Shehu added, “Anyone who dares to put the lives of innocent citizens at risk in their desperation to rig elections, must be prepared for the possibility of losing their own lives because our security agents will certainly not stand by, clap for them and watch them kill and maim.

“Let’s just have free and fair elections and no one need worry about anything.”

President Buhari had while addressing the All Progressives Congress (APC) caucus meeting on February18 said, “I will warn those who have planned to disrupt the peaceful elections to desist from their planned actions. Anyone who tries that is doing it at the expense of his own life”. President Buhari said.

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