The Inspector-General of Police, IGP Usman Baba, has ordered the distribution of more than a million copies of a handbook produced by the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) on “Revised Standard Operational Guidelines/Rules for Police Officers and Other Law Enforcement Agents on Election Security Duties ahead of the 2023 General Elections.
Force Public Relations Officer (FPRO), CSP Olumuyiwa Adejobi, in a press statement, Wednesday in Abuja, said: “The 36 page handbook contains a page for the details of the officer to whom it is issued, a foreword by the IGP, rules on general conduct, duty parade, briefing/debriefing, dress and accoutrement, managing political parties’ convention/rallies, and crowd control, use of force and lethal weapon, escorting and protecting election materials, the procedure of arrest, command and control and other salient electoral security rules.”
The spokesperson said, “The strategic distribution covers the Force Headquarters, Zonal and State Police Commands, Formations and trickles down to Units of the Force and Divisional Police Stations to ensure that every police officer will have a copy of the guidelines for ease of reference before the commencement of deployments.
“Similarly, the IGP has ordered distribution to the Presidency, Ministry of Police Affairs, Police Service Commission, the Military, and all other security agencies engaged alongside the Police in election security management based on their expected deployment for the elections.”
He said police boss has reiterated expectation that the police and other security agents involved in election security management will find the handbook to be valuable operational companion.
According to Baba, the handbook would act as a standard in holding them accountable in the line of their electoral duties, as all hands must be on deck to actualise the mandate and commitment of the NPF to have free, fair and credible elections in Nigeria.
