The acting Inspector General of Police, Mr. Mohammed Adamu, has assured the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) of adequate security arrangements for the 2019 general elections.
He gave the assurance while briefing the INEC members and sister organisations at the Inter Agency Consultative Committee on Election Security (ICCES) meeting held at the commission’s headquarters, on Thursday in Abuja.
The Police Chief said that all polling units and voting points will be manned by at least three security personnel with the Police taking the lead, while units of mobile policemen will be deployed to patrol all the country’s senatorial districts, to check unauthorized movements and potential trouble makers.
According to him, all collation centres across the country, from the ward to state levels will also be adequately protected.
“The location of the RACs (Registration Area Centres), polling units, voting points and collation centres will be adequately manned.
“There will be at least three security personnel at each polling unit. Units of mobile policemen will be deployed to every senatorial district, where there will be constant patrols to check unauthorized movements and those who might want to cause trouble.
“We are deploying three days before the election and after the election, we will remain behind for the next two days. All security personnel will remain behind after voting had taken place and they will accompany election officials as they move the results.
“From the ward collation centre, they will move to the local government collation centre where they will meet other security personnel already stationed there.
“From there, they will all move to state collation centre. So, as they are moving, the number of security personnel keeps increasing up to the state collation centre,” Adamu said.
The acting IGP also said that the Federal Government has provided the Police with the required resources to carry out its duties during the general elections.
He said: “The government has already paid the allowances of the personnel and every policeman will get his allowance before he moves to the field. The government has also provided us with the means of getting transportation.”
Speaking on how the Police designed the security strategy for the election, he said: “We went round the country and carried out threat assessments of the areas that are likely to be flash points and on those individuals that are likely to cause problems during the election. We have identified all those. Our pattern of deployment will be informed by the result of the threat assessments.”
The Chief Press Secretary to INEC Chairman, Mr. Rotimi Lawrence Oyekanmi in a statement quoted the INEC Chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, as welcoming the Police Chief’s willingness to partner with the commission for the successful conduct of the elections.
Participants at the meeting include: National Commissioners, the National Security Adviser, Babagana Mungoro, Comptroller General, Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS), Muhammed Babandede, and the Corps Marshal, Federal Road Safety Corps, Boboye Oyeyemi, among others.
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