By Festus Fifen.
Ahead of the October 10 Gubernatorial Elections in Ondo State, South-West Nigeria, The inspector General of Police IGP Mohammed Adamu has said in order to mitigate the identified threats, The Nigeria Police Force shall be deploying a total of 33,783 police personnel on election security duty in Ondo State, this is aside intelligence assets,
According to IGP Adamu while addressing statekholders in Akure the Ondo State capital, This will comprise of 30,933 conventional police personnel and 2,850 Special Police Units. The Police deployment will be complemented by an additional 3,500 manpower that will be drawn from other Security Agencies. The Military will be engaged for the purpose of securing the Inter State borders while the Nigeria Police Airwing will provide air surveillance.
In his words, ” These personnel shall be deployed to adequately secure the 3,009 Polling Units (PUs) in 203 Wards spread over the 18 Local Government Areas of the State. They are to protect the personnel and assets of the Independent National Electoral Commission, the electorates, and residents of Ondo State in general before, during and after the elections.
” The rationale for these deployments is purposeful and strategic. Firstly, we are drawing from the experiences garnered in the recently concluded election and proactively responding to the outcome of the intelligence analysis arising from our election threat assessment of Ondo state governorship election. Secondly, the deployment is equally to deny misguided political actors that might be bent on threatening the elections through acts that are inimical to the dictates of the Electoral Act, the pleasure of manifesting their ignoble traits. Thirdly, we are, by the deployment, sending strong warning that the Nigeria Police and other security agencies are resolute to bring recalcitrant characters threatening the process to justice no matter their status in the society or political affiliation.”
IGP Adamu said ” It must, be noted that the success of the upcoming election is dependent on the mind-set of all of us here seated today. In this regard, I call on all the political parties to embrace the virtues of democracy by seeing elections as a call to service of the people and not ‘a-do or die’ affair, even as I implore parents and guardians to counsel their children and wards to resist the unprofitable urge of being recruited by any politician for thuggery and other acts of violence.”
The Nigeria Police Boss used the medium to reassure the political parties and indeed the peace loving people of Ondo State that the Nigeria Police and other security agencies involved in the conduct of the forthcoming election have commonly resolved in line with their respective Oaths of Office and Allegiance to the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, that the election shall be free, fair, credible, and conducted in a safe and secure environment.
Subsequently, the IGP said no one is allowed to wear any cloth, emblem or
colour signifying any political party to the polling units, no person is allowed to move around with security details around the polling units as appropriate directives have been given for the withdrawal or scaling down of such security details around politically exposed persons and other personalities in the State until after the elections, Adding that No one is allowed to move about from one polling unit to another as there shall be restriction of movements on the day of the election.
—————————————————————————————————————————————
Your help to our media platform will support the delivery of the independent journalism and broadcast the world needs. Support us by making any contribution. Your donation and support allows us to be completely focus, deeply investigative and independent. It also affords us the opportunity to produce more programmes online which is a platform universally utilised.
Thank you.
Please click link to make – DONATION