The Nigerian Police Force, the lead agency in election security, have assured residents of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) of their readiness to safeguard lives and property in Saturday’s FCT election.
Speaking at the stakeholders meeting in Abuja, the agencies called on stakeholders to eschew violence and other acts that are capable of undermining the elections by allowing the electorate to decide who their leaders would be.
The Inspector General of Police (IGP), Alkali Baba Usman, assured that “the police as the lead agency in election security have been working in synergy with other security agencies to prepare adequately to provide the enabling environment for the peaceful conduct of this Area Council election”.
Represented by DCP Basil Idegwu, the IGP maintained that security threats posed by insurgency, terrorism, political thuggery and other violent crimes as well as electoral offences affect the credibility of an election and that would not be allowed during the Area Council election.
On the measures taken by the police to secure the electoral space for peaceful election on Saturday, IGP Usman said his men have been doing threat analysis, information gathering and intelligence sharing with sister security agencies to the identify peculiar threats in all the Area Councils.
He added that the police would deploy tactical units drawn from the mobile police force, special forces, counter terrorism, and all the tactical units of the police to secure the election.
“We are poised to ensure that we deploy the best of our human and material resources during this election”, the IGP stressed.
Mr. Usman also explained that the police would engage in convoy patrol with other security agencies, and also conduct stop and search at strategic locations, as well as other key and vulnerable points.
He added, “Before the elections, we will continue to conduct raids on suspected criminal hideouts, and there will be deployment of additional conventional personnel from neighbouring states of kogi, Niger, Nasarawa, and Kaduna”.
“We will further ensure the deployment of additional logistics to support the FCT Command. Senior officers from the Force Headquarters will equally be deployed to supervise the conduct of the election in the area councils.”
The FCT Minister, Muhammad Musa Bello, expressed confidence in the Professor Yakubu led INEC to deliver on its mandate. Mr. Bello commended the steady improvement witnessed in the conduct of elections which he attributed to the increasing use of technology and other reforms.
