486 suspects arrested in Abia are travellers – Omeri

Mike Omeri, the Coordinator of the National Information Centre, said on Wednesday that the 486 people arrested by security operatives on Sunday in Abia State were travellers.
Omeri disclosed this at a joint news conference organised by the centre in Abuja.
The coordinator said the arrest of the travellers was not targeted at any group of persons or individual, but done in view of the general security situation in the country.
He said when the suspects were interrogated, one of them, who had been on the watch list of the Department of State Services since 2007, was identified.
Omeri said that the incident further led to the questioning of the suspects, who were travelling in “a convoy of over 30 buses with none of them having up to N1,000.
“Clearly, their mission was suspicious and had to be thoroughly investigated.
“We, therefore, appeal for the understanding of the public in allowing our security agencies carry out their legitimate duties.”
On the June 21 governorship election in Ekiti State, Omeri said contrary to reports, the DSS did not arrest any person in the state over alleged thumb printing of ballot papers ahead of the poll.
He said: “The service (DSS) has not seen or apprehend anyone with ballot papers.
“Politicians are hereby cautioned against dishing out false information through the media with a view to overheating the system.”