At least 300:thugs believed to be working for the ruling Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, in various polling units across Enugu state by military personnel across the state.
It was gathered that about 65 percent of the hoodlums were hired from neighbouring states of Kogi, Benue, Taraba and Anambra States.
Most of the thugs were arrested at Nsukka, Isi Uzo, Igbo Eze North in both the Enugu North and Enugu East Senatorial Districts of the state.
Among those arrested were Council chairman of Isi-Uzo Local Government Area Obiora Obeagu and his predecessor, Jacob Abonyi.
Security sources told reporters that 32 armed thugs were arrested from Isi-Uzo, the home town of the Labour Party candidate, Chijioke Edeoga, and were deployed by the chairman of the local government.
According to the military sources, 20 of the armed thugs were arrested in Igbo-Eze North Council area on Friday night while 140 others were arrested at a hotel on Obollo Afor Road, in the University Town of Nsukka.
One of the soldiers who led the operations accused the operatives of the Nigerian Police Force of complicity in various political thuggery in the state.
The soldier said that, "30 political thugs working for the PDP were arrested while distrusting election in Lejja in Nsukka and handed over to the police but were released after we left the station. Those thugs later returned to destroy election materials in those places. Unfortunately for them we rearrested some again and they were then moved to Enugu.
"From the look of things, the Enugu State government is run by cultists and it is very unfortunate.
"The N1000 and N500 old banknotes that the Supreme Court ordered should be returned as legal tender were openly distributed to buy votes. So looking at it closely you see the governors and politicians used the opportunity to distribute the old banknotes they parked for this election."
Another security personnel told SaharaReporters that security agencies deployed to Nkanu West LGA compromised after a serving senator shared N200,000 to leaders of various team and N100,000 to all the security personnel that observed election in the area.
In Uzo-Uwani, the sources said, the Council chairman, and brother to a top security to the governor, led armed thugs that shot and wounded a Labour Party supporter.
This was even as political thugs working for a top party leader reportedly chased out all Labour Party agents at Nkanu West LGA headquarters and a collation centre in Enugu East Senatorial District.
A journalist, Chijioke Ogbodo, who was also chased out of the Council area said, that at Nkanu West Council Headquarters venue of the collation of results for the LGA, some party agents other than PDP's were denied entry into the premises.
Ogbodo said, "The Council Chairman, Uche Ejim despatched his boys after me, even as an accredited media representative, and forced me out of the premises. It's this bad.
"At about 4:49 PM, PDP sponsored thugs shot sporadically into the air and smashed election materials including result sheets at Amankwo polling center as well as Ubogu polling booth both in Akpugo II, Nkanu West LGA of Enugu State.
"LP was leading at the above named units before the disruptive violence orchestrated by the thugs"
