The acting Inspector-General of Police, IGP, Mohammed Adamu has deployed more 55 Commissioners of Police (CPs) and Assistant Inspectors-General of Police (AIGs) to zones to ensure peaceful conduct of the national elections.
Saturday INDEPENDENT reliably learnt that each state has two additional CPs apart from the state command CP.
For instance, Lagos has two more CPs; they are CP Kenneth Ebrimson and CP Dave. The AIG Zone 2, Lagos, Lawal who moves to Ogun State is also replaced with AIG Folawiyo.
Other officers moved for the purpose of ensuring peaceful elections are: AIG Moses Jutoboh who is moved to Zone 7 Abuja; CP Edo, CP Odumosun moves to Federal Operations, Abuja, while CP Enugu CP Dan Mallam moves to Edo.
Similarly, Ogun State has three, including Finam Adeoye and Gbenga……
Meanwhile, Borno State Police Command has deployed at least 13, 000 operatives in the state to provide security for today’s presidential and National Assembly elections in the state.
The Commissioner of Police, Mr Damian Chukwu, said this on Thursday in Maiduguri, while briefing newsmen on the command’s level of preparedness for the polls.
Chukwu said that the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) also deployed 1,500 operatives for the exercise.
He said that the military and other security agencies in the state also contributed undisclosed number of their personnel for the exercise.
He said that the operatives were deployed to the 27 local government areas of the state to ensure the peaceful conduct of the election.
Chukwu further said that the security agencies had initiated proactive measures to effectively man and protect polling units, collation centres as well as INEC offices and facilities.
The police boss called on the political parties, candidates and electorate to be orderly and shun acts capable of disrupting the election process.
He warned that the long arm of the law would catch up with any person or group that would attempt to cause violence during the polls.
In the same vein, Kogi State Police Command says 6,500 officers and men will be deployed to 239 wards in the state for the presidential and national assembly elections.
The state’s Commissioner of Police, Mr Hakeem Busari, disclosed this on Thursday in Lokoja at a peace agreement signing ceremony by candidates and political parties.
He said that the number of personnel included the reinforcement the Inspector-General of Police sent to the state from Abuja.
Apart from this, Busari said men and officers from the Counter Terrorism Unit, Police Mobile Force and Special Protection Unit will man all the collation centres across the state, so as to safeguard election results, materials and electoral officers.
The commissioner said that the ongoing arrest of some elements considered to be threat to public peace before the elections was part of strategies to ensure a hitch-free election.
He, however, assured residents that nobody will be arrested without cogent reason, saying that the police were after peace.
Busari told candidates and political party leaders that there was no reason for them to engage in violence, saying that there were enough channels for them to express their grievances.
He warned them against taking laws into their hands, urging them to prevail on their supporters and members to embrace peace.
Also, the Rivers Police Command on Thursday assured people of Rivers that the 2019 general elections would not be characterised by violence.
Mr Usman Belel, the Commissioner of Police in Rivers, gave the assurance at a media briefing in Port Harcourt.
The police chief said that the command had deployed 15, 544 police officers for the Saturday elections in the state.
“The narrative must change in Rivers elections. There will be a radical departure from the elections usually characterised by violence. We shall get it right this time. Rivers will outlive the elections.
“On our part, we promised to be neutral, apolitical, professional and provide level playing field for all political parties to exercise their franchise,” he said.
According to Belel, the command will do everything humanly possible to ensure free, credible elections, devoid of violence.
He said that there would be no free movement of people and vehicles, both on land and waterways, on Friday, Feb.15 and until 4.00p.m on Saturday.
According to him, Very Important Personalities (VIPs) and politicians are barred from going to voting centres with their security details.
Belel said that politicians have been warned to desist from moving from place to place on election day.
He said that police and other security agencies in the state would patrol and arrest offenders of the restriction order. (Daily Independent)
