‘Snatch Ballot Box, Lose Your Life’ – Garba Shehu

The Presidency has reaffirmed President Muhammadu Buhari’s warning that ballot box snatchers in the forthcoming general elections will do so at the expense of their lives.

Buhari had issued the warning on Monday at the national caucus meeting of All Progressives Congress (APC) in Abuja.

“Anybody who decides to snatch boxes or lead thugs to disturb the election, maybe that would be the last unlawful action you would take,” the President said, adding that, “I have given the military and police the order to be ruthless. I am going to warn anybody who thinks he would lead a body of thugs in his locality to snatch boxes or to disturb the voting system; he would do it at the expense of his/her own life.”

The statement had since attracted more negative than positive reactions as most Nigerians who commented on it have argued that there are prescribed laws for electoral offences.

Ballot snatching in Nigeria attracts a jail term of 2 years.

But speaking to journalists at the State House on Tuesday in Abuja, President Buhari’s Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Mallam Garba Shehu, defended his principal’s warning.

“Snatching ballot boxes often entails putting the lives of innocent Nigerians at risk,” said Shehu.

“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.

“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.

“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.”

On attacks that have come the way of President Buhari after he made the statement, Shehu said: “This sounds like members of the opposition, specifically the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP who have perfected plans to rig the elections and to snatch ballot boxes. They can tell that President Buhari is not prepared to tolerate their antics this time around, and they are afraid. They have shown their intent.

“Let’s just have free and fair elections and no one need worry about anything,” said the presidential spokesperson.