Kwara State Police Command has assured the people of the state of its readiness to provide adequate security of lives and property of the populace, particularly people of the Irepodun/Oke Ero/Isin/Ekiti federal constituency before, during and after Saturday’s bye-election.
The command also suspended the activities of vigilante groups that have been assisting in the area of intelligence gathering and security till after the election.
In a statement signed on Wednesday by the state’s command PPRO, DSP Okesanmi Ajayi, it said the command has finalised all necessary plans to make the election hitch-free and solicited the cooperation of all stakeholders.
“Thuggery, hooliganism, vote buying, destruction/defacing of bill boards and banners will not be tolerated.
“The command is aware of the support and cooperation of members of Vigilante Groups of Nigeria in Kwara, in the area of intelligence gathering and other security assistance, but for the purpose of the forthcoming by-election in the above local government areas, their activities in the affected areas are hereby suspended until the conclusion of the elections.
“Intelligence report available to the Command indicated that VGN uniform will be worn by miscreants to cause security breach during the elections. Any body found adorning that uniform between Friday to Monday will be arrested and prosecuted accordingly,” the statement read.
The Command therefore assured the people of Kwara state of its capacity to provide security for their lives and property as enshrined in Nigeria’s constitution, adding that information about strange movements in their environment should be reported to police.