Yobe State Police Command on Tuesday warned politicians against hiring thugs for protection at the 2023 general elections. The State Police Commissioner, Mr Haruna Garba, gave made the statement at a stakeholders’ meeting organised by the police in preparation for the 2023 elections.
The police boss said the 2022 Electoral Act as amended recognised only the police and its sister agencies as those mandated to provide security throughout the exercise. The commissioner, therefore, warned that any non-state actor caught wielding weapons during the election would be arrested and prosecuted.
Garba also advised political parties to shun bitterness, hate speech and always exercise the spirit of sportsmanship. According to him, “No ambition is worth anyone’s blood; if you lose, you may win in the future.”
The commissioner said the police is well prepared to provide adequate security to ensure the conduct of a peaceful election. The CP further called on the political parties to forward their campaigns’ timetables to the police for effective planning.
Also speaking at the event, the Resident Electoral Commissioner of the Independent National Electoral Commission, Alhaji Ibrahim Abdullahi, assured that the commission would conduct free and fair elections.
According to him, the commission had displayed a preliminary register of voters for claims and objections, adding that steps had also been taken to ease voting among people living with disabilities.
