By Emma Una

CALABAR—SECURITY was unusually tight at the Cross River State Election Tribunal, yesterday, as Senator  Gershom Bassey, the senator representing the  Southern senatorial district of  Cross River State, testified before the tribunal.

The Murtala Muhammed Highway, Calabar, premisis of the state High Court, where the tribunal is sitting was blocked to traffic and those going into the tribunal were thoroughly frisked while a large number of those who could not give cogent reasons why they were going into the tribunal were sent back.

Though no reason was given for the tight security, a source said the tribunal was no longer prepared to allow over crowding of the hall by people who have no business in the court.

The tribunal on Tuesday heard evidence from Professor Ikipbi, a forensic scientist, who said that there were two types of forensic analysis, the latent and patent forensic analysis of thumb prints. “The latent approach to finger print analysis focuses on a crime scene analysis where the marks of a suspected criminal are not visible but can be detected with the use of machines while the patent analysis focuses on visible ink mark on paper,” he said.